View source for Kruger National Park

{{short description|First national park in South Africa}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2021}}
{{Use South African English|date=July 2012}}
{{Infobox protected area
| name = Kruger National Park
| photo = Kruger Zebra.JPG
| photo_alt = 
| photo_caption = [[Chapman's zebra|Plains zebra]]s in a Kruger landscape
| photo_width = 
| map_image = Kruger National Park locator map.svg
| map_alt = 
| map_caption = Location of the park (red area) in South Africa
| map_width = 
| location = [[Limpopo]] and [[Mpumalanga]] provinces, [[South Africa]]
| nearest_city = [[Mbombela]] (southern) <br />[[Phalaborwa]] (central)
| coordinates = {{coord|24|0|41|S|31|29|7|E|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| coords_ref = 
| area_km2 = 19623
| area_ref = <ref name=East-60>{{cite book |title=Antelopes: Southern and South-Central Africa Pt. 2: Global Survey and Regional Action Plans |year=1989 |publisher=[[International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources]], Antelope Specialist Group |isbn=978-2-88032-970-9 |editor=East, R. |page=60 |chapter=Chapter 10: South Africa}}</ref><ref name=mw-902>{{cite book |title=Merriam Webster's Collegiate Encyclopedia |date=2001 |publisher=[[Merriam-Webster]] |isbn=978-0-87779-017-4|page=902}}</ref><ref name=sadc-2006->{{cite web |title=The Official SADC Trade, Industry and Investment Review 2006 |publisher=Southern African Development Community |year=2006 |url=http://www.sanec.org/images/stories/Country/south_africa_2006.pdf |access-date=23 July 2011 |page=217}}</ref>
| established = 31 May 1926<ref name=Stevenson>{{cite book |author=Stevenson-Hamilton, J. |year=1937 |title=South African Eden: The Kruger National Park 1902–1946 |publisher=Struik Publishers |place=}}</ref>
| visitation_num = 1,659,793 (1,277,397 day visitors, 382,396 overnight)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Foreign visitor numbers to Kruger National Park on the rise in 2014/2015 financial year |last=Modise |first=A. |date=2015 |work=South African Department of Environmental Affairs |url=https://www.environment.gov.za/mediarelease/moreforeignvisitors_krugernationalpark |access-date=2020-01-06 |archive-date=14 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190714034128/https://www.environment.gov.za/mediarelease/moreforeignvisitors_krugernationalpark |url-status=dead }}</ref>
| visitation_year = 2014–15 FY
| governing_body = [[South African National Parks]]
| world_heritage_site = 
| url = https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger
}}

'''Kruger National Park''' ({{IPA|af|ˈkry.(j)ər|lang}}) is a [[national park]] in [[South Africa]] covering an area of {{cvt|19623|km2}} in the provinces of [[Limpopo]] and [[Mpumalanga]] in the country's northeast. It extends {{cvt|360|km}} from north to south and {{cvt|65|km}} from east to west. The administrative headquarters are in [[Skukuza]]. Areas of the park were first protected by the government of the [[South African Republic]] in 1898, and it became South Africa's first national park in 1926. It is part of [[Kruger to Canyons Biosphere]], an area designated as a [[biosphere reserve]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.unesco.org/mabdb/br/brdir/directory/biores.asp?code=SAF+06&mode=all |title=UNESCO - MAB Biosphere Reserves Directory|website=unesco.org}}</ref>

== History ==
{{main|History of the Kruger National Park}}

=== Conservation Pre-Game Reserve (1867-1898) ===
A Game Commission was established in 1891 with J.M. Malan of Rustenberg as chairman,<ref>{{Cite conference |date=11 June 1891 |title=Articles 367 and 368 |work=Minutes of the Volksraad}}</ref> which resulted in the establishment of the game law of 1891.<ref>Game Law (Law Number 6) 1891 - South African Republic </ref>
It must be noted that there were already individual farmers as far back as 1867 who published notices in the ''Staatscourant'' to prohibit hunting and so try to preserve the game on their own land. In total 200 owners protected game on about 300 farms between 1867 and 1881 in this manner.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Index der Staatscouranten over de Jaren 1857 tot en met 1870 |date=1897}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news  |title=Index der Staatscouranten over de Jaren 1871 tot en met 1881 |date=1898}}</ref>
One of these farmers was pioneer Alexander Marsh Robertson<ref>{{Cite news |last=Robertson |first=A. M. |date=1873 |title=Notice Prohibiting Hunting |work=Staatscourant 476 |pages=3}}</ref> who owned two adjacent farms, Rolfontein and Elandsberg, extending over 7600 [[Morgen#South_Africa|morgen]] in the [[Wakkerstroom]] district. Robertson was the first farmer to fence part of his property to create a game camp in the eastern [[South African Republic|Transvaal]], some 500 morgen using leadwood and barbed wire. The creation of the game camp however was serendipity. Robertson initially erected the fence to restrain his horses, but the fence also provided the added benefit of protecting the ground game. Game in this camp increased significantly due to the protection offered by the fence.<ref>{{Cite news |date=1947 |title=Early attempts to protect wild life |work=African Wild Life |pages=21-23}}</ref>
[[Paul Kruger|President Paul Kruger]] regularly toured the rural areas to visit his people. He heard about the success of Robertson's "game" camp and wrote to Albertus Stoop his son Tjaart's future father-in-law, himself a keen conservationist and neighbour of Robertson, to arrange a visit to Rolfontein so that he could see the experiment first hand and stay the night.<ref name=Pienaar2012>{{Cite book |last=Pienaar |first=T. |title=A Cameo from the past: The Prehistory and early history of the Kruger National Park |publisher=Protea Boekhuis |year=2012 |isbn=978-1869191955 |edition=1st |location=South Africa |pages=393–394}}</ref>
Kruger was very impressed with Robertson's unexpected success and continued to show great interest in the Wakkerstroom farmer's efforts to preserve game over the next few years. He visited Rolfontein again in 1892, and it was at this visit, at a great braai held in his honour that he spoke to the importance of Rolfontein in protecting smaller game and proceeded to lay out, for the first time in a public forum, his plan to establish the first Game Reserve in Africa along the Sabi River to preserve the big game that needed a much larger protected habitat to thrive.<ref name=Pienaar2012/>

=== Sabi Game Reserve (1898&ndash;1926) ===
Sabi Game Reserve was initially created to control hunting and to protect the diminishing number of animals in the area.<ref name=lonely468>{{cite book |date=2008 |publisher=Lonely Planet |title=South Africa, Lesotho & Eswatini |author=Bainbridge, J. |chapter=Kruger National Park |pages=466–469 |chapter-url=http://www.lonelyplanet.com/shop_pickandmix/previews/south-africa-kruger-national-park-preview.pdf |access-date=11 September 2008 |archive-date=31 October 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081031071554/http://www.lonelyplanet.com/shop_pickandmix/previews/south-africa-kruger-national-park-preview.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> The reserve was located in the southern one-third of the modern park.<ref name=Foxcroft33>{{cite journal |year=2008|title=Ornamental Plants as Invasive Aliens: Problems and Solutions in Kruger National Park, South Africa |journal=Environmental Management |volume=41 |issue=1 |pages=32–51 |doi=10.1007/s00267-007-9027-9 |author=Foxcroft, L.C. |pmid=17943344 |last2=Richardson |first2=D.M. |last3= Wilson |first3=J.R. |bibcode= 2008EnMan..41...32F|s2cid=38896378 |hdl=10019.1/112297 |hdl-access=free}}</ref>
[[James Stevenson-Hamilton]] became the first warden of the reserve in 1902.<ref name=lonely468/> [[Shingwedzi|Singwitsi Reserve]], named after the [[Shingwedzi River]] and now in northern Kruger National Park, was proclaimed in 1903.<ref name=McNeely127-129>{{cite book |author=McNeely, J.A. |year=2001 |publisher=International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources |title=The Great Reshuffling |isbn=2-8317-0602-5}}</ref> During the following decades all the native tribes were removed from the reserve and during the 1960s the last were removed at [[Makuleke]] in the [[Pafuri]] triangle.

In 1918 a commission was established to review the Sabi Reserve. The first secretary of the commission was [[Johannes Andries (Dries) de Ridder]], a civil servant. <ref name=Stevenson/><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Punt |first1=Willem J. |title=CECILE DE RIDDER |journal=Journal of the Pretoria Historical Association |date=May 2002 |volume=115 |page=32–33 |url=https://repository.up.ac.za/dspace/bitstream/handle/2263/16345/Pretoriana_115_2002.pdf |access-date=24 July 2024}}</ref> Counterintuitively, the commission actually recommended reducing the size of the park in order to allow greater commercial exploitation of the land.<ref>{{cite web |title=Kruger Park Proclamation |url=https://www.krugerpark.co.za/proclamation-of-kruger-national-park.html |website=Kruger National Park Guide |access-date=20 November 2025}}</ref>

In 1923, the Minister for Lands, [[Deneys Reitz]], led a survey expedition around the reserve and devised a scheme whereby the government would exchange state land outside the reserve with that of the local private landowners in order to establish a true national park.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Reitz |first1=Deneys |editor1-last=Emslie |editor1-first=Trevor |title=Adrift on the Open Veld |date=1999 |publisher=Stormberg |location=Cape Town |isbn=978-0-6202-4380-3 |pages=613-615</ref> During the same year, the first large groups of tourists started visiting the Sabi Game Reserve, but only as part of the [[South African Railways]]' popular "Round in Nine" tours. The tourist trains travelled the Selati railway line between [[Komatipoort]] on the [[Mozambique|Mozambican]] border and [[Tzaneen]] in the then northern [[Transvaal (province)|Transvaal]].<ref name=Bulpin>{{cite book |author=Bulpin, T.V. |title=Treasury of Travel Series: Kruger National Park |publisher=Creda Press |place= |year=1974}}</ref>

Following a [[1924 South African general election|change of government in 1924]], Reitz's scheme was implemented by the new Lands Minister, [[Pieter Gert Wessel Grobler|Piet Grobler]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Kruger Park Proclamation |url=https://www.krugerpark.co.za/proclamation-of-kruger-national-park.html |website=Kruger National Park Guide |access-date=20 November 2025}}</ref> In May 1926, Grobler introduced a National Parks Bill to parliament, which passed on 11th June 1926, finally establishing the modern Kruger National Park.<ref>{{cite web |last1=South Africa Online |title=1921 Becoming the Kruger Park |url=https://southafrica.co.za/1921-becoming-the-kruger-park.html |website=South |access-date=20 November 2025}}</ref>

The name ''Kruger'' was officially proposed by [[Jacob de Villiers|Judge J.A.J de Villiers]] at a meeting of the National Monuments Commission and especially appealed to Grobler himself as a great-grandnephew of Paul Kruger. Behind the scenes it had been championed by English-speaking naturalists in order to win Afrikaner support for the Park.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Carruthers |first1=Jane |title=The Kruger National Park |date=1995 |publisher=University of Natal Press |location=Pietermaritzburg |pages=60-61 |url=https://www.environmentandsociety.org/sites/default/files/key_docs/carruthers_kruger_np.pdf |access-date=20 November 2025}}</ref>

=== Kruger National Park ===
[[File:Memorial Kruger Park.jpg|thumb|Plaque in the park. Now and then people do get killed; however, this is extremely rare.]]

By the passage of the National Parks Act of 1926, Sabi Game Reserve, the adjacent Shingwedzi Game Reserve, and farms were combined to create Kruger National Park.<ref name=lonely468/>  In line with the scheme developed by Reitz, private landowners in total exchanged a total of 196,000 acres of land in the reserve for 135,000 acres of government land on the outside, as well financial restitution, which totalling £40,000.<ref>{{cite web |title=1921 Becoming the Kruger Park |url=https://southafrica.co.za/1921-becoming-the-kruger-park.html |website=South Africa Online |access-date=20 November 2025}}</ref>

The previous Sabi Reserve Warden, James Stevenson-Hamilton, became Warden of the new park. A Board of Trustees was appointed to run the park, chaired by Senator W. J.C. Brebner (chairman), and including a range of politicians, naturalists and philanthropists: [[Deneys Reitz]], [[Oswald Pirow]], H.B. Papenfus, R. A. Hockly, [[Abe Bailey|Sir Abe Bailey]], W.A. Campbell, [[Alwin Karl Haagner]], [[Gustav Preller]], and A.E. Charter, who served as secretary.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Carruthers |first1=Jane |title=The Kruger National Park |date=1995 |publisher=University of Natal Press |location=Pietermaritzburg |pages=68-69 |url=https://www.environmentandsociety.org/sites/default/files/key_docs/carruthers_kruger_np.pdf |access-date=20 November 2025}}</ref>

In 1928 the head of the [[South African Air Force]], [[Pierre van Ryneveld| Sir Pierre van Ryneveld]], personally led an airborne expedition by three Board of Trustees members to investigate the effect of low-flying airplanes on game. The Board members included Deneys Reitz, who used the data from this trip to frame regulations on flying over the Park.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Reitz |first1=Deneys |editor1-last=Emslie |editor1-first=Trevor |title=Adrift on the Open Veld |date=1999 |publisher=Stormberg |location=Cape Town |isbn=978-0-6202-4380-3 |page=690}}</ref>

Warden James Stevenson-Hamilton retired on 30 April 1946, after 44 years of service. He was replaced by Colonel J. A. B. Sandenbergh of the South African Air Force.<ref name=Bulpin/>
In 1959, work commenced to completely fence the park's boundaries. Work started on the southern boundary along the [[Crocodile River (Mpumalanga)|Crocodile River]] and in 1960 the western and northern boundaries were fenced, followed by the eastern boundary with Mozambique. The purpose of the fence was to curb the spread of diseases, facilitate border patrolling and inhibit the movement of [[poaching|poachers]].<ref name=Bulpin/>

The Makuleke area in the northern part of the park was forcibly taken from the [[Makuleke (tribe)|Makuleke people]] by the government in 1969 and about 1500 of them were relocated to land to the south so that their original [[Tribe|tribal]] areas could be integrated into the greater Kruger National Park.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://hdgc.epp.cmu.edu/misc/IIED%20paper.pdf|title=The Makuleke Land Claim |author=Steenkamp, C. |year=2000 |publisher=IIED Evaluating Eden Programme |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110722030212/http://hdgc.epp.cmu.edu/misc/IIED%20paper.pdf|archive-date=22 July 2011}}</ref>

[[File:Pride_of_lions_Kruger.jpg|thumb|Pride of [[Panthera leo melanochaita|lion]]s on a tourist road]]
In 1996 the Makuleke tribe submitted a [[land claim]] for {{cvt|19842|ha|km2|order=flip}}, namely the [[Pafuri]] or [[Makuleke]] region in the northernmost part of the park.<ref name="Claim-19960806">{{cite web |title=Commission on the restitution of land rights media statement on a claim by the Makuleke Tribe on a portion of the Kruger National Park and other areas |date=1996 |publisher=South African Commission on Restitution of Land Rights |url=http://www.info.gov.za/speeches/1996/960812_0x70796.htm |access-date= 9 December 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-date=4 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110604112421/http://www.info.gov.za/speeches/1996/960812_0x70796.htm}}</ref> The land was given back to the Makuleke people, however, they chose not to resettle on the land but to engage with the private sector to invest in tourism. This resulted in the building of several game lodges from which they earn royalties.{{cn|date=December 2023}}

In the late 1990s, the fences between the Kruger Park and [[Klaserie Game Reserve]], Olifants Game Reserve, and [[Balule Nature Reserve]] were dropped and incorporated into the Greater Kruger Park with {{cvt|400000|ha|km2}} added to the Reserve. In 2002, Kruger National Park, [[Gonarezhou National Park]] in [[Zimbabwe]], and [[Limpopo National Park]] in [[Mozambique]] were incorporated into a [[Transboundary protected area|peace park]], the [[Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park]].<ref name=lonely468/>

In 2025 the government suggested that the name of the park should be changed to Skukuza National Park due to the negative legacy left by former president [[Paul Kruger]]. The name is also representative of what locals called the park prior to it being made a national park.

== Location and geography ==
{{multiple image |align=right |perrow=1 |header=Geography of the Kruger National Park |image1=KNP-Olifants River-001.jpg |caption1=Olifants River |image2=Kruger panorama3.jpg |caption2=Luvuvhu and Limpopo Rivers at Crookes Corner in [[Makuleke]]}}
The park lies in the northeast of South Africa,<ref name=Foxcroft33/> in the eastern parts of [[Limpopo]] and [[Mpumalanga]] provinces. [[Phalaborwa]], Limpopo is the only town in South Africa that borders the Kruger National Park. It is one of the largest national parks in the world, with an area of {{cvt|19485|km2}}. The park is approximately {{cvt|360|km}} long,<ref name=Foxcroft33/> and has an average width of {{cvt|65|km}}.<ref name=lonely468/> At its widest point, the park is {{cvt|90|km}} wide from east to west.<ref name=Foxcroft33/>
To the north and south of the park two rivers, the [[Limpopo River]] and the [[Crocodile River (Mpumalanga)|Crocodile]] respectively, act as their natural boundaries. To the east, the [[Lebombo Mountains]] separate it from Mozambique. Its western boundary runs parallel with this range, roughly {{cvt|65|km}} distant. The park varies in altitude between {{cvt|200|m}} in the east and {{cvt|840|m}} in the south-west near Berg-en-Dal. The highest point in the park is here, a hill called Khandzalive. Several rivers run through the park from west to east, including the [[Sabie River|Sabie]], [[Olifants River (Limpopo)|Olifants]], [[Letaba River|Letaba]] and [[Luvuvhu]] while the [[Crocodile River (Mpumalanga)]] and  [[Limpopo River]] run along the parks border.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Which River In Kruger Park Is The Cleanest |url=https://www.krugerpark.co.za/krugerpark-times-3-14-kruger-rivers-23334.html#:~:text=In%20the%20Kruger%20National%20Park,the%20Letaba%20and%20the%20Luvuvhu. |access-date=2024-11-17 |website=www.krugerpark.co.za}}</ref>

{{Skukuza weatherbox}}
{{Phalaborwa weatherbox}}
{{Weather box
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| source = <ref name="climate-data">{{cite web |url=https://en.climate-data.org/africa/south-africa/limpopo/pafuri-camp-924361/ |title=Pafuri Camp Climate |publisher=Climate-data.org |access-date=January 18, 2020 }}</ref>
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The climate of the Kruger National Park and lowveld is subtropical/tropical, specifically a [[semi-arid climate#Hot semi-arid climates|hot semi-arid climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification|Köppen]] ''BSh''). Summer days are humid and hot. The rainy season is from September until May. The Kruger National Park website lists September and October as the driest periods, culminating at the beginning of the rainy season late in October. Because the park spans {{convert|360|km|mi|-1|disp=or}} from north to south, climate can vary throughout the park. [[Skukuza]] in the southern part of the park is about {{convert|2|to|3|C-change|F-change|1}} cooler throughout the year than [[Makuleke|Pafuri]] in the north, with significantly more rainfall.

== Biodiversity ==
{{multiple image |direction=vertical |header=Veld types |image1=Buffalo in Mopane Shrub KrugerNP.JPG |caption1=Open savanna grassland in the northern flats |image2=The Lowveld (4098445581).jpg |caption2 =Mixed woodlands in the southwest on granite |image3=KNP Landscape.jpg |caption3=Open savanna on dry basalt flatlands in the southeast}}

{{Unreferenced section|date=December 2023}}
=== Vegetation ===
Plant life consists of four main areas, which correspond roughly to the four quadrants of the park. The main veld types are determined by the rainfall gradient (400 to 750&nbsp;mm per annum) and geological substrates.

==== Shrub mopane veld ====
Shrub mopane covers almost the entire northeastern part of the park.

==== Red bush-willow and mopane veld ====
This area lies in the park's western half, north of the Olifants River. The two most prominent species here are the red bush-willow (''[[Combretum apiculatum]]'') and the mopane tree (''[[Colophospermum mopane]]'').

==== Thorn trees and red bush-willow veld ====
This area lies between the western boundary and roughly the centre of the park south of the Olifants River. ''[[Combretum]]s'', such as the red bush-willow (''[[Combretum apiculatum]]''), and ''[[Acacia sensu lato|Acacia]]'' species predominate while there are a great number of marula trees (''[[Sclerocarya afra]]''). The ''Acacias'' are dominant along the rivers and streams, the very dense Nwatimhiri bush along the Sabie River between [[Skukuza]] and [[Lower Sabie]] being a very good example.

==== Knob-thorn and marula veld ====
South of the Olifants River in the park's eastern half, this area provides the most important grazing land. Species such as red grass (''[[Themeda triandra]]'') and buffalo grass (''[[Megathyrsus maximus]]'') predominate while the knob-thorn (''[[Senegalia nigrescens]]''), leadwood (''[[Combretum imberbe]]'') and marula (''[[Sclerocarya afra]]'') are the main tree species.

====Local vegetation communities====
Several smaller areas in the park carry distinctive vegetation. The Pretoriuskop sourveld and Malelane mountain bushveld receive relatively high rainfall. Here sickle bush and silver cluster-leaf (''[[Terminalia sericea]]'') are prominent. The sandveld communities northeast of Punda Maria are equally distinctive, with a wide variety of unique plant species. The bush-clad hills along the [[Levuvhu River]] also shelter an interesting floral diversity and some near-endemic species.

=== Mammals ===
{{multiple image |direction=vertical |header=Mammals |image1=Lion (Panthera leo) (30941994012).jpg |caption1=Male [[Panthera leo melanochaita|lion]] |image2=Leopard (Panthera pardus) male (6001436301).jpg |caption2=[[African leopard|Leopard]] |image3=Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) on the road (16509940256), crop.jpg |caption3=[[South African cheetah|Cheetah]] |image4=Elephant side-view Kruger.jpg |caption4=[[African bush elephant]] crossing a road |image5=Rhinoceros in Kruger National Park 03.jpg |caption5=A pair of [[Southern white rhinoceros|white rhinoceros]]}}

All the [[big five game]] animals are found at Kruger National Park, which has more species of large [[mammal]]s than any other African game reserve (at 147 species). There are webcams set up to observe the wildlife.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.sanparks.org/webcams/|title=SANParks - Nature Conservation, Accommodation, Activities, Reservations|website=sanparks.org}}</ref>

Kruger supports packs of the [[endangered]] [[African wild dog]], of which there are thought to be only about 400 in the whole of South Africa.<ref>Hogan, C. M. 2009. [http://globaltwitcher.auderis.se/artspec_information.asp?thingid=35993 ''Painted Hunting Dog: Lycaon pictus'', GlobalTwitcher.com, ed. N. Stromberg] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101209234758/http://globaltwitcher.auderis.se/artspec_information.asp?thingid=35993 |date=9 December 2010 }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="margin:1em auto 1em auto;"
|+ '''Wildlife population {{As of|2011||lc=y}}'''
|-
! Species
! data-sort-type="number" | Count (2009)
! data-sort-type="number" | Count (2010)<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://dreamfieldsguesthouse.com/kruger-statistics-animal-numbers/145/|title=Kruger Statistics & Animal Numbers » Big 5, Kruger National Park » Dreamfields Guesthouse|website=dreamfieldsguesthouse.com|language=en-EN|access-date=2017-10-05|archive-date=5 October 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171005152022/http://dreamfieldsguesthouse.com/kruger-statistics-animal-numbers/145/|url-status=dead}}</ref>
!Count (2011)<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/conservation/scientific/ff/biodiversity_statistics.php|title=Kruger National Park: Biodiversity Statistics|website=sanparks.org|language=en-ZA|access-date=2019-11-09}}</ref>
|-
|[[South-central black rhinoceros]] <small>(''D. b. minor'')</small>
|350
|590–660
|–
|-
|[[Blue wildebeest]] <small>(''C. t. taurinus'')</small>
|9,612
|11,500
|6,400–13,100
|-
|[[Chapman's zebra]] <small>(''E. q. chapmani'')</small>
| 17,797
|26,500
|23,700–35,300
|-
|[[Cape bushbuck|Bushbuck]]
|500
|500
|–
|-
|[[African buffalo]] <small>(''S. c. caffer'')</small>
|27,000
|37,500
|37,130
|-
|[[Common eland]]
|300
|460
|460
|-
|[[African bush elephant]]
| 11,672
|13,700
|13,750
|-
|[[South African giraffe]] <small>(''G. c. giraffa'')</small>
|5,114
|9,000
|6,800–10,300
|-
|[[Greater kudu]] <small>(nominate ssp.)</small>
|5,798
|9,500
|11,200–17,300
|-
|[[Hippopotamus]] <small>(''H. a. capensis'')</small>
|3,000
|3,100
|3,100
|-
|[[Impala]] <small>(nominate ssp.)</small>
|150,000
|120,000
|132,300–176,400
|-
|[[Lichtenstein's hartebeest]] <small>(''A. b. lichtensteinii'')</small>
|–
|50
|–
|-
|[[Mountain reedbuck]] <small>(nominate ssp.)</small>
|–
|150
|150
|-
|[[Nyala]]
|–
|300
|300
|-
|[[Roan antelope]] <small>(nominate ssp.)</small>
|–
|90
|90
|-
|[[Sable antelope]] <small>(nominate ssp.)</small>
|–
|290
|290
|-
|[[Common warthog]] <small>(''P. a. sundevallii'')</small>
|–
|3,500
|3,100–5,700
|-
|[[Waterbuck]] <small>(nominate ssp.)</small>
|5,000
|5,500
|3,100–7,800
|-
|[[Southern white rhinoceros]] <small>(''C. s. simum'')</small>
|7,000 to 12,000<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sanwild.org/NOTICEBOARD/jundec09/Response%20from%20SANParks%20to%20Misleading%20Reports%20and%20Claims%20about%20Rhino%20Sales.HTM|title=Response from SANParks to Misleading Reports and Claims about Rhino Sales and Hunting in National Parks|date=2009-07-15|access-date=2009-10-16|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100121110824/http://www.sanwild.org/NOTICEBOARD/jundec09/Response%20from%20SANParks%20to%20Misleading%20Reports%20and%20Claims%20about%20Rhino%20Sales.HTM|archive-date=21 January 2010}}</ref>
|10,500
|–
|-
|[[African wild dog]] <small>(''L. p. pictus'')</small>
|240
|–
|120
|-
|[[Southeast African cheetah]] <small>(''A. j. jubatus'')</small>
|120
|120
|120
|-
|[[Nile crocodile]]
|–
|4,420
|4,420
|-
|[[African leopard]] <small>(''P. p. pardus'')</small>
|2,000
|1,000
|1,000
|-
|[[Panthera leo melanochaita|Lion]] <small>(''P. l. melanochaita'')</small>
|2,800
|1,600
|1,620–1,720
|-
|[[Spotted hyena]]
|2,000
|3,500
|5,340
|}

=== Birds ===
{{multiple image |align = right |direction = vertical |image1=Harlequin Quail (Coturnix delegorguei) (6035291347).jpg |caption1=[[Harlequin quail]] (''C. delegorguei'')}}
A fairly uniform aggregate of bird species is present from the southern to central areas of the park, but a decline in diversity is noticeable in the [[Colophospermum mopane|mopane]]-dominated flats northwards of the [[Olifants River (Limpopo)|Olifants]].<ref name="kem1">{{cite book |last1=Kemp |first1=A. C. |title=The Distribution and Status of the Birds of the Kruger National Park – Koedoe Monograph No. 2 |date=1974 |publisher=The National Parks Board of Trustees |page=31 |edition=1}}</ref> Most species breed in summer when rains sustain most vegetable and animal food, but the larger [[bird of prey|birds of prey]] conversely breed during the dry winter, when their prey is most exposed.<ref name="kem1"/>

Constituting the southern [[lowveld]], the park's avifaunal affinities are mainly with the tropical north. Some representatives of this group are the [[African openbill]], [[hooded vulture]], [[Dickinson's kestrel]], [[white-crowned lapwing]], [[brown-necked parrot]], [[Senegal coucal]], [[broad-billed roller]], [[trumpeter hornbill]], [[Böhm's spinetail]], [[tropical boubou]], [[Meves's starling]] and [[scarlet-chested sunbird]].<ref name="kem1"/> Some 30 waterbird and wader species are dependent on the rivers or associated dams,<ref name="pet1">{{cite web |last1=Petersen |first1=R. |last2=Riddell |first2=E. |last3=Govender |first3=D. |last4=Sithole |first4=H. |last5=Venter |first5=J. |last6=Mohlala |first6=T. |title= State of the rivers - Kruger National Park |date=2015 |work=Savanna Science Networking Meeting 2015 |place=Skukuza |url=https://www.sanparks.org/assets/docs/conservation/scientific_new/savanna/ssnm2015/state-of-the-rivers-kruger-national-park.pdf |access-date=25 February 2022}}</ref> including the [[African finfoot]], [[white-backed night heron]], [[white-crowned lapwing]] and [[water thick-knee]]. Other species are limited to riparian thicket or forest, including [[African goshawk]], [[crested guineafowl]], [[Natal spurfowl]], [[Narina trogon]], [[Pel's fishing owl]], [[bearded scrub robin]], [[terrestrial brownbul]] and [[black-throated wattle-eye]]. This habitat is often reduced by drought<ref name="pie1">{{cite web |last1=Pienaar |first1=D. |title=Kruger National Park – A general introduction |url=http://biodiversityadvisor.sanbi.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/4.-Pienaar-KNP-a-general-introduction.pdf |website=biodiversityadvisor.sanbi.org |publisher=National Biodiversity Planning Forum |access-date=26 February 2022 |date=20 June 2017 |archive-date=25 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221125055548/http://biodiversityadvisor.sanbi.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/4.-Pienaar-KNP-a-general-introduction.pdf |url-status=dead}}</ref> or floods or the understorey is opened up by elephant.<ref name="kem1"/>

Some of the larger birds require large territories or are sensitive to habitat degradation. Six of these birds, which are by and large restricted to Kruger and other extensive conservation areas, have been assigned to a fanciful grouping called the "Big Six Birds".<ref name=bsb>{{cite web |last=Engelbrecht |first=D. |title=Kruger National Park's Big 6 Birds |url=http://www.sanparks.org/groups/birders/knp_big_6.php |work=Sanparks |access-date=9 January 2013}}</ref> They are the [[lappet-faced vulture]], [[martial eagle]], [[saddle-billed stork]], [[kori bustard]], [[Southern ground hornbill|ground hornbill]] and the reclusive [[Pel's fishing owl]], which is localized and seldom seen. The 2011 aerial survey found 22 martial eagle nest sites, the 2015 survey an additional 17, while the 2020 survey found 70 nest locations in all,<ref name="hwi1">{{cite web |last1=Murgatroyd |first1=M. |title=Bird's Eye View in Kruger National Park |date=2020 |url=https://hawkwatch.org/blog/item/1203-birds-eye-view-in-kruger |work=HawkWatchInternational |access-date=27 August 2020 |archive-date=11 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411145934/https://hawkwatch.org/blog/item/1203-birds-eye-view-in-kruger |url-status=dead }}</ref> though the activity of these has yet to be determined. There are 25 to 30 breeding pairs of saddle-billed storks in the park, besides a handful of non-breeding individuals.<ref name=bsb/> In 2012 178 family groups of ground hornbills roamed the park and 78 nests were known, of which 50% were active.<ref name=nj>{{cite news |last=Jackson |first=N. |title=Wildtuin help sy bromvoëls só |work=Beeld |date=2012 |url=http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/12/27/B1/10/tnjbrom.html |access-date=9 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516025600/http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/12/27/B1/10/tnjbrom.html |archive-date=16 May 2013}}</ref> In 2013, it was estimated that 904 pairs of [[white-backed vulture]], 78 pairs of [[lappet-faced vulture]] and 60 pairs of [[white-headed vulture]] breed in the park.<ref name="mur1">{{cite journal |last1=Murn |first1=C. |last2=Combrink |first2=L. |last3=Ronaldson |first3=G. S. |last4=Thompson |first4=C. |last5=Botha |first5=A. |title=Population estimates of three vulture species in Kruger National Park, South Africa |journal=Ostrich |date=2013 |volume=84 |issue=1 |pages=1–9 |doi=10.2989/00306525.2012.757253 |bibcode=2013Ostri..84....1M |s2cid=86467203}}</ref>

=== Other vertebrates ===
Kruger is inhabited by 114 species<ref name="bar1"/> of reptile, including [[black mamba]]s, [[African rock python]]s, and 3,000 [[Nile crocodile]]s. As yet, knowledge of the densities and distributions of the reptiles, especially on smaller spatial scales, is limited by sampling bias and a strong dependence on the park's public infrastructure is evident.<ref name="bar1">{{cite journal |last1=Barends |first1=Jody M. |last2=Pietersen |first2=Darren W. |last3=Zambatis |first3=Guinevere |last4=Tye |first4=Donovan R.C. |last5=Maritz |first5=Bryan |title=Sampling bias in reptile occurrence data for the Kruger National Park |journal=Koedoe |date=11 May 2020 |volume=62 |issue=1 |doi=10.4102/koedoe.v62i1.1579|doi-access=free |hdl=2263/77007 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> 34 species of amphibians are found in the park,<ref>Pienaar, Passmore & Carruthers, ''Die Paddas van die Nasionale Krugerwildtuin.'' Sigma Press, 1976</ref> as well as 49 fish species. A Zambezi shark, ''Carcharhinus leucas'', also known as the [[bull shark]], was caught at the confluence of the Limpopo and Luvuvhu Rivers in July 1950. Zambezi sharks tolerate fresh water and can travel far up rivers like the Limpopo.<ref>Pienaar, U. de V., ''The Freshwater Fishes of the Kruger National Park'', Koedoe Vol 11, No 1 (1968)</ref>

=== Invertebrates ===
[[File:Monthly arthropod abundance in central Kruger National Park.png|thumb|right|250px|A seasonally fluctuating biomass of [[arthropod]]s is observed in response to the [[Climate of South Africa|summer rainfall regime]] and the mostly deciduous vegetation, as shown by sampling during 11 months in [[grassland]] near Satara Camp.<ref name="kem1b">{{cite book |last =Kemp |first =A. C. |title=The Distribution and Status of the Birds of the Kruger National Park – Koedoe Monograph No. 2 |date=1 January 1974 |publisher=The National Parks Board of Trustees |pages=5–6 |edition=1}}</ref>]]
219 species of [[butterfly]] and [[skipper (butterfly)|skipper]] are native to the park.<ref name="williams">{{cite web |last1=Williams |first1=Mark C. |title=Checklist of the butterflies and skippers of the Kruger National Park |url= https://www.sanparks.org/docs/parks_kruger/conservation/scientific/ff/invertebrates/checklist_butterflies&skippers.pdf |website=sanparks.org |access-date=20 November 2018}}</ref> The fastest and most robust of these belong to the [[genus]] ''[[Charaxes]]'',<ref name="otto">{{cite web |last1=Otto |first1=Herbert |title=Butterflies of the KNP |url=http://www.krugerpark.co.za/krugerpark-times-4-8-butterflies-24374.html |website=krugerpark.co.za |access-date=19 January 2019}}</ref> of which 12 species have been recorded.<ref name="kloppers">{{cite book |last1=Kloppers |first1=Johan |last2=Van Son |first2=G. |title=Butterflies of the Kruger National Park |date=1978 |publisher=Board of Curators for National Parks |location=Pretoria |isbn=0-86953-021-6 |pages=79–84}}</ref> Genera ''[[Papilio]]'' and ''[[Acraea (genus)|Acraea]]'' are also well-represented, with about 10 and 15 species respectively.<ref name="kloppers"/> The total number of [[Lepidoptera]] species in the park is unknown but could be in the order of 7,000, many of which range widely in African [[savanna]]. The [[Gonimbrasia belina|mopane moth]] in the northern half of the park is one of the best known, and communities outside the park have at times been given permits to harvest their caterpillars.<ref name="kpcoza1">{{cite web |title=Mopane Worm Harvest |url= http://www.krugerpark.co.za/krugerpark-times-6-2-mopani-worm-harvest-25325.html |website=krugerpark.co.za |access-date= 21 January 2019}}</ref><ref name="maota">{{cite web |last1=Maota |first1=Ray |title=Mopane worms to alleviate hunger |url=https://www.brandsouthafrica.com/people-culture/people/mopane-worms |website= brandsouthafrica.com |date = 2010-12-20 |access-date= 21 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1= Masuku |first1= Dumisile |title= Mopani worms harvested in KNP |url= https://www.news24.com/Green/News/Mopani-worms-harvested-in-KNP-20121217 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130413012751/http://www.news24.com/Green/News/Mopani-worms-harvested-in-KNP-20121217 |url-status= dead |archive-date= 13 April 2013 |access-date= 21 January 2019 |agency= News24 |date= 2012-12-17 }}</ref> The park has a high diversity of [[termite]]s and 22 genera are known to occur, including the mound-building genera ''[[Macrotermes]]'', ''[[Cubitermes]]'', ''[[Amitermes]]'', ''[[Odontotermes]]'' and ''[[Trinervitermes]]''.<ref name="meyer">{{cite journal |last1=Meyer |first1=Victor W. |last2=Braack |first2=L.E.O. |last3=Biggs |first3=H.C. |last4=Ebersohn |first4=Colleen |title=Distribution and density of termite mounds in the northern Kruger National Park, with specific reference to those constructed by Macrotermes Holmgren (Isoptera: Termitidae) |journal=African Entomology |date=March 1999 |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=123–130 |url= https://www.researchgate.net/publication/259487863 |access-date=20 November 2018}}</ref> A new [[species]] of [[woodlouse]], ''[[Ctenorillo]] meyeri'', has been discovered inside [[termite]] [[nest]]s, [[east]] of [[Phalaborwa]] and near [[Mopani Rest Camp]].<ref name="taiti">{{cite journal |last1=Taiti |first1=Stefano |title=A new termitophilous species of Armadillidae from South Africa (Isopoda: Oniscidea) |journal=Onychium |date=2018 |volume=14 |pages=9–15 |url= https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325110962 |access-date=15 September 2019}}</ref> It is the first instance of a termitophilous [[species]] from the family [[Armadillidae]]. Many species of [[mosquito]] occur in the park, including the ''[[Culex]]'', ''[[Aedes]]'' and ''[[Anopheles]]'' genera which target mammals. ''[[Anopheles arabiensis|A. arabiensis]]'' is the most prevalent of the 9 or more ''Anopheles'' species in the park, and their females transmit [[malaria]].<ref name="munh">{{cite journal |last1=Munhenga |first1=Givemore |last2=Brooke |first2=Basil D |last3=Spillings |first3=Belinda |last4=Essop |first4=Leyya |last5=Hunt |first5=Richard H |last6=Midzi |first6=Stephen |last7=Govender |first7=Danny |last8=Braack |first8=Leo |last9=Koekemoer |first9=Lizette L |title=Field study site selection, species abundance and monthly distribution of anopheline mosquitoes in the northern Kruger National Park, South Africa |journal=Malaria Journal |date=2014 |volume=13 |issue=1 |pages=27 |doi=10.1186/1475-2875-13-27 |pmid=24460920 |pmc=3925985 |doi-access=free }}</ref>
As of 2018, 350 species of [[Arachnida|arachnids]], excluding ticks and mites, are known from Kruger.<ref>Dippenaar-Schoeman et al., 2018</ref> These are mostly [[spiders|true spiders]], including 7 species of [[Harpactirinae|baboon spider]], but also 9 [[scorpion]] and 7 [[pseudoscorpion]] species, 18 [[Solifugae|solifugid]] species (sun and roman spiders), 2 species of [[Opiliones|harvestmen]] and 1 species of [[Amblypygi|tailless whip scorpion]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.krugerpark.co.za/krugerpark-times-3-16-baboon-spider-23462.html|title=Kruger Park Times &#124; New Baboon Spider Discovered &#124; Online News Publication...|website=krugerpark.co.za}}</ref>

== Threats ==
The park's ecosystem is subject to several threats, including intensive poaching, urban development at its borders,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://kruger-nationalpark.weebly.com/human-impacts.html|title=Human Impacts|website=Kruger National Park}}</ref> global warming and droughts,<ref>{{cite news |date=14 September 2016 |work=The Guardian |title=South African national park to kill animals in response to severe drought |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/sep/14/south-african-national-park-kill-animals-severe-drought}}</ref> animal overpopulation,<ref>{{cite news |year=2016 |work=The Globe and Mail|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-southern-africa-has-too-many-elephants-and-lions-is-contraception-the/|title=Southern Africa has too many elephants and lions. Is contraception the answer?}}</ref> and mining projects.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://corridorgazette.co.za/276492/residents-determined-to-stop-mining/|title=Residents determined to stop mining near Marloth Park|work=Corridor Gazette|date=9 August 2018|access-date=3 June 2019|archive-date=3 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190603141255/https://corridorgazette.co.za/276492/residents-determined-to-stop-mining/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

[[Light pollution]] produced by rest camps and nearby towns affects the biodiversity of Kruger National Park. In particular, it alters the composition of nocturnal wildlife<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-01-18 |title=Kruger National Park: Wildlife, Culture, and Conservation |url=https://africaninspiredsafaris.com/kruger-national-park-wildlife-culture-and-conservation/ |access-date=2024-02-13 |website=African Inspired Safaris |language=en-GB}}</ref> and the hunting behaviour of predators.<ref>{{Cite news |author=Wild, S. |date=2019 |title=Lights from rest camps and nearby towns are threatening wildlife in the Kruger National Park |url=https://www.businessinsider.co.za/lights-from-rest-camps-and-nearby-towns-are-threatening-wildlife-in-the-kruger-national-park-2019-1 |access-date=2020-07-12 |website=BusinessInsider South Africa |archive-date=3 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200803010013/https://www.businessinsider.co.za/lights-from-rest-camps-and-nearby-towns-are-threatening-wildlife-in-the-kruger-national-park-2019-1 |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2022 it was announced that [[Nkosi City]], an R8 billion development is planned near the western border of the park.<ref name="bt1">{{cite news |last1=Staff writer |title=New R8 billion city to be built bordering Kruger National Park |url= https://businesstech.co.za/news/government/560552/new-r8-billion-city-to-be-built-bordering-kruger-national-park/ |access-date=20 February 2022 |agency=BusinessTech |publisher=businesstech.co.za |date=20 February 2022}}</ref>

Floods or raising of the walls of the [[Massingir Dam|Massingir]] and Corumana dams in Mozambique could potentially damage, by silting, the pristine gorges of the Olifants and Sabie rivers respectively.<ref name="bat1">{{cite news |last1=Bateleurs |title=Dams Potential Damage to Gorges Inspected |url=https://www.krugerpark.co.za/krugerpark-times-2-8-dams-damage-19526.html |access-date=24 February 2022 |agency=Kruger Park News Archive |publisher=krugerpark.co.za |date=2006}}</ref><ref name="str1">{{cite news |last1=Strauss |first1=Lynette |title=Kruger Gorge |url=https://www.krugerpark.co.za/krugerpark-times-23-kruger-gorge-17985.html |access-date=24 February 2022 |work=Greater Kruger National Park |agency=krugerpark.co.za |date=2006}}</ref> The Olifants River Gorge has a deep, single thread, pool-rapid structure which is home to many crocodiles, besides hippos and fish. The fish population of the Olifants has already been diminished by hundreds of dams in its upper reaches.<ref name="str1"/>

== Anti-poaching measures ==
{{see also|Rhinoceros poaching in Southern Africa}}

Kruger National Park's anti-poaching unit consists of 650 [[game warden|game ranger]]s, assisted by the [[South African Police Service]] and the [[South African National Defence Force]] including the [[South African Air Force]].<ref name=transfront2/> As of 2013, the park is equipped with two [[Unmanned aerial vehicle|drones]] borrowed from [[Denel]] and two [[Aérospatiale Gazelle]] helicopters, donated by the [[Royal Air Force]] to augment its air space presence.<ref name = vilj/><ref name=et2>{{cite news |last=Tempelhoff |first=E. |title=Oë in die lug teen park se stropers |work=Beeld |date=2012 |url=http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/11/07/B1/6/etetrenosters.html |access-date= 25 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516032523/http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/11/07/B1/6/etetrenosters.html |archive-date=16 May 2013}}</ref> Automated movement sensors relay intrusions along the Mozambique border to a control center,<ref name=et>{{cite news |last=Tempelhoff |first=E. |title=Wildtuin is slagveld |url=http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/11/11/B1/2/etsestien.html |access-date=25 January 2013 |work=Beeld |date=2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130516035533/http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/11/11/B1/2/etsestien.html |archive-date=16 May 2013}}</ref> and a specialist dog unit has been introduced.<ref name=vilj2>{{cite news |last=Viljoen|first=B. |title=Honde deel van stryd teen stropers |url=http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/10/24/B1/6/bvkrugerhonde_1411.html|access-date=25 January 2013 |work=Beeld|date=24 October 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516035317/http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/10/24/B1/6/bvkrugerhonde_1411.html |archive-date=16 May 2013}}</ref> Buffer zones have been established along the border with Mozambique,<ref name=et6>{{cite news |last=Tempelhoff |first=E. |title=Kruger: Staat sê ja vir 2 buffers: Sones sal ook help om stropery te keer |work=Beeld |date=2012 |url=http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/06/26/B1/14/etkruger.html |access-date=25 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130516034618/http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/06/26/B1/14/etkruger.html |archive-date=16 May 2013}}</ref> from where many poachers have infiltrated the park, as an alternative to costly new fences.<ref name=et9>{{cite news |last=Tempelhoff |first=E. |title=Nee vir draad tussen wildtuin, buurland |work=Beeld |date=2012 |url=http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/03/30/B1/6/etrenosters.html |access-date=25 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130516044826/http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/03/30/B1/6/etrenosters.html |archive-date=16 May 2013 }}</ref> The original 150&nbsp;km long fences were dropped in 2002 to establish the [[Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park]].<ref name=transfront2>{{cite news|title=Kruger-heining terug?: Regering wil renosterstropers só uit wildtuin hou |work=Beeld|date=2012 |url=http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/01/17/B1/2/etrenosters.html|access-date=25 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516022818/http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/01/17/B1/2/etrenosters.html |archive-date=16 May 2013}}</ref> The national anti-poaching committee oversees all activities and coordinates interested parties.<ref name=jm>{{cite news|author=Meyer, J. |title=Dragtige koei, nog 7 renosters gestroop |work=Beeld |date=2012 |url=http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/09/25/B1/1/djrhino.html|access-date=25 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516041922/http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/09/25/B1/1/djrhino.html |archive-date=16 May 2013}}</ref><ref name=et5>{{cite news|last=Tempelhoff |first=E. |title=Stropery: Minister moet bedank, eis groep |work=Beeld |date=2012 |url=http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/06/27/B1/4/etrenosters.html|access-date=25 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130516035551/http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/06/27/B1/4/etrenosters.html |archive-date=16 May 2013}}</ref>

=== Poachers ===
Kruger's big game poachers operate with night vision instruments and large caliber rifles, fitted with [[Flash suppressor|suppressor]]s and sophisticated [[telescopic sight]]s.<ref name=bv6>{{cite news |last=Viljoen |first=B. |title=Stropers raak ál beter, meer waaghalsig |url=http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/02/15/B1/7/bvstroopstats_1725.html |access-date=25 January 2013 |work=Beeld |date=2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516043128/http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/02/15/B1/7/bvstroopstats_1725.html |archive-date=16 May 2013}}</ref> They are mostly Mozambique citizens who initiate their carefully planned incursions from the border region of South Africa and Mozambique.<ref name=vilj8>{{cite news|last=Gibson|first=E. |title=SANW gryp báie meer aan grens |url=http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/11/29/B1/14/tegderrick1.html|access-date=25 January 2013 |work=Beeld |date=2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516022641/http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/11/29/B1/14/tegderrick1.html |archive-date=16 May 2013}}</ref> In 2012, about 200 poachers were apprehended,<ref>{{cite news |last=Tempelhoff |first=E. |title= Twee doodgeskiet wat glo wil stroop |url=http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/11/01/B1/4/etstroop.html |access-date=25 January 2013 |work=Beeld |date=2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516042604/http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/11/01/B1/4/etstroop.html |archive-date=16 May 2013}}</ref> while about 30 were killed in skirmishes.<ref name=et3>{{cite news |last=Tempelhoff |first=E. |title=Stroper geskiet in wildtuin, 1 gewond |work=Beeld |date=2012 |url=http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/10/09/B1/4/etrenosters.html |access-date=25 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130516044635/http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/10/09/B1/4/etrenosters.html |archive-date=16 May 2013}}</ref>
In July 2012, a Kruger game ranger and policeman were the first to die in an anti-poaching operation,<ref name=et4>{{cite news |last=Tempelhoff |first=E. |title=Skietery in Kruger eis twee: Wildtuin is 'n 'oorlogsone' |url=http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/07/25/B1/1/etskietery-B2-02.html |access-date=25 January 2013 |work=Beeld |date=2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516044820/http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/07/25/B1/1/etskietery-B2-02.html |archive-date= 16 May 2013}}</ref> while other employees reported intimidation by poachers.<ref name=vilj11>{{cite news |last=Viljoen|first=B. |title=Horings: Vroue vas oor hulle dreig |work=Beeld |date=2012 |url=http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/04/14/B1/6/bvborgweier_1549.html|access-date=25 January 2013 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516044030/http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/04/14/B1/6/bvborgweier_1549.html|archive-date=16 May 2013}}</ref> A Kruger personnel [[Strike action|strike]] affected some anti-poaching operations,<ref name=bv7>{{cite news |last=Viljoen |first=B. |title= Afgetredes ingeroep om te help in wildtuin |work=Beeld |date=2012 |url=http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/02/09/B1/2/bvwildhulp_1602.html |access-date=25 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516031731/http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/02/09/B1/2/bvwildhulp_1602.html |archive-date=16 May 2013}}</ref> and some employees have been directly implicated.<ref name=vilj12>{{cite news |last=Viljoen |first=B. |title=Húlle slaan nié bokke dood, sê drie van wildtuin |url= http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2006/12/05/B1/9/bv-impalaslagting_01-12-06%2816-16-29%29bviljoen.html |access-date=25 January 2013 |work=Beeld |date=5 December 2006 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516041445/http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2006/12/05/B1/9/bv-impalaslagting_01-12-06(16-16-29)bviljoen.html |archive-date=16 May 2013}}</ref>
Rangers in and around the park have been pressured or [[blackmail]]ed by poaching syndicates to provide intelligence on the whereabouts of rhinos and anti-poaching operations.<ref name="gro">{{cite news |last1=Groenewald |first1= Y. |title=Poaching syndicates target Kruger rangers |url=http://oxpeckers.org/2016/08/3025/ |access-date=25 August 2016 |work=Oxpeckers |date=2016}}</ref>

In December 2012, Kruger started using a [[Denel Dynamics Seeker|Seeker]] II drone against rhino poachers, which was loaned to the [[South African National Parks]] authority by its manufacturer [[Denel Dynamics]], South Africa.<ref name=Schl>{{cite news |date=2013 |last=Schlesinger |first=F. |title=Animal activists to use drones in fight against illegal hunting |url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/animal-activists-to-use-drones-in-fight-against-illegal-hunting-gxpfx9xfv6b |access-date=22 August 2016 |work=[[The Times]] |page=17}}</ref>

In June 2019, a Helix surveillance aircraft system was deployed on night missions in the park, and apprehended half a dozen suspected poachers.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.defenceweb.co.za/aerospace/aerospace-aerospace/successful-kruger-anti-poaching-demonstration-for-helix-aircraft/|title=Successful Kruger anti-poaching demonstration for Helix aircraft|date=2019 |website=defenceweb |access-date=2019-08-09}}</ref>
Other threats to poachers include the dangerous nature of the park itself. In February 2018, a poacher was believed to have been trampled by elephants and then eaten by lions, leaving rangers to later find only a human skull and a pair of trousers, alongside a loaded hunting rifle.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Suspected rhino poacher killed by elephant, eaten by lions in South Africa |date=2019 |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/5137424/rhino-poacher-killed-by-elephant-kruger/ |website=globalnews |access-date=2019-09-28}}</ref>
In December 2021, two accused poachers were arrested in the Kruger National Park's Skukuza after they were discovered in possession of unauthorized rifles and ammunition.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Poachers arrested in Kruger National Park |website=The Herald |url=https://www.herald.co.zw/poachers-arrested-in-kruger-national-park/|access-date=2021-12-24}}</ref>

==== Rhino ====
Poachers make no distinction between white and black rhinos,<ref name=ho>South Africa's 18,780 white and 1,916 black rhinos were still increasing in 2012, see: {{cite news |last=Otto |first= H. |title=Minister is 'optimisties' oor stropery |work=Beeld |date=2012 |url=http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/04/05/B1/6/honoster.html |access-date=25 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130516030257/http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/04/05/B1/6/honoster.html |archive-date=16 May 2013 }}</ref> but losses of black rhinos are low due to their reclusive and aggressive nature.<ref name=vilj9>{{cite news |last= Viljoen |first=B. |title=Toeriste kry gestroopte swartrenoster in Kruger |work=Beeld |date=2012 |url=http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/10/05/B1/2/bvswartrenoster_1542.html |access-date=25 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516021606/http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/10/05/B1/2/bvswartrenoster_1542.html}}</ref> Rhino horn fetches between $66,000 and $82,000 per kilogram,<ref name=vilj10>{{cite news |last=Viljoen |first=Buks |title=5 renosterstropers in Krugerwildtuin doodgeskiet |url=http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2011/01/12/B1/1/bvstopersdood1635.html |access-date=25 January 2013 |work=Beeld |date=2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130516025115/http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2011/01/12/B1/1/bvstopersdood1635.html |archive-date=16 May 2013 }}</ref> and the CITES ban has proved largely ineffectual against the trade in rhino horn.<ref name=et7>{{cite news |last=Tempelhoff |first=E. |title=245 renosters al vanjaar gestroop; 161 in arres |work=Beeld |date=2012 |url=http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/06/13/B1/9/etrenosters.html |access-date=25 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130516043755/http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/06/13/B1/9/etrenosters.html |archive-date=16 May 2013}}</ref> The second horn is sometimes also hacked from the skull to obtain about 100 ml of moisture that is sold locally as traditional medicine [[Muti]].<ref name=vilj9/>

Poaching rhino horn escalated in the 21st century, with 949 rhinos killed in Kruger in the first 12 years,<ref name=vilj>{{cite news |last=Viljoen |first=B. |title=Stropers: R100 000 vir inligting |work=Beeld |date=2012 |url=http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/12/14/B1/2/bvrenosterbeloom_1503.html |access-date=25 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516032935/http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/12/14/B1/2/bvrenosterbeloom_1503.html |archive-date=16 May 2013}}</ref> and more than 520 in 2013 alone.<ref name= 4-killed>{{cite news |title=4 rhino poachers killed, 17 arrested in Kruger Park |url=http://www.citypress.co.za/news/4-rhino-poachers-killed-17-arrested-kruger-park/ |access-date=27 November 2013 |work=City Press |location=South Africa |agency=SAPA |date=2013 |url-status=dead |archive-date=27 November 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131127012009/http://www.citypress.co.za/news/4-rhino-poachers-killed-17-arrested-kruger-park}}</ref><ref name=yah>{{cite web |last=De Sakutin |first=S. |title=Over 100 rhinos poached in S. Africa in past month |url=http://za.news.yahoo.com/over-100-rhinos-poached-africa-past-month-112429059.html |date=2013 |publisher=Yahoo! News, South Africa |access-date=29 October 2013 |archive-date=28 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131028032444/http://za.news.yahoo.com/over-100-rhinos-poached-africa-past-month-112429059.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> A memorandum of agreement is seen as a necessary milestone in stemming the tide between South Africa and Vietnam, in addition to the one with China,<ref name=et9/><ref name=wz>{{cite news |last=Zwecker |first=W. |title=Hof waarsku smokkelaars met vonnis: 'Bly weg uit SA!' |work=Beeld |date=2012 |url=http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/11/11/B1/1/wzchumlong.html |access-date=25 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516024637/http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/11/11/B1/1/wzchumlong.html}}</ref> while negotiations have not yet started with Thailand.<ref name=et8>{{cite news |last=Tempelhoff|first=E.  |title=Interpol se hulp ingeroep teen renosterstropery |work=Beeld |date=2012 |url= http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/04/09/B1/4/etstroop.html |access-date=25 January 2013  |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516025244/http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/04/09/B1/4/etstroop.html |archive-date=16 May 2013}}</ref> The amount of rhino horn held in storage is not publicly known.<ref name=et11>{{cite news |last=Tempelhoff|first=E. |title=Nee vir draad tussen wildtuin, buurland |url=http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/03/30/B1/6/etrenosters.html |access-date=25 January 2013 |work=Beeld |date=2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516044826/http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/03/30/B1/6/etrenosters.html|archive-date=16 May 2013}}</ref> Since 2009, some Kruger rhinos have been fitted with invisible tracing devices in their bodies and horns which enable officials to locate their carcasses and to track the smuggled horns by satellite.<ref name=cc/> South Africa's 22,000 white and black rhinos represent some 93% of these species' world population, 12,000 of which are found in Kruger.<ref name=cil>{{cite news |last=Cilliers |first=S. |title=5 gestroop in één park: Nuwe plan nodig vir renosters, sê kenners |work=Beeld |date=2012 |url=http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/08/13/B1/1/screnoster.html |access-date=25 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516041847/http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/08/13/B1/1/screnoster.html |archive-date=16 May 2013}}</ref>

In July 2022, [[Navara (poacher)|Navara]], an elephant poacher who frequented Kruger, was arrested in [[Maputo]] in a sting operation for possessing rhino horns.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022 |title=Mozambique busts notorious rhino poacher |url=https://news.mongabay.com/2022/08/mozambique-busts-notorious-rhino-poacher/ |access-date=2024-05-10 |website=Mongabay Environmental News}}</ref> As of 2023, he is serving a 30-year prison sentence.<ref>{{Cite news |date=2023 |title=Mozambique: Poaching ringleader detained for second time |url=https://clubofmozambique.com/news/mozambique-poaching-ringleader-detained-for-second-time-235937/ |work=Club of Mozambique}}</ref>

==== Elephant ====
Kruger experienced significant elephant poaching in the 1980s.<ref name=cc>{{cite news |last=Coetzee |first=C. |title='Aanslag' op renosters in Krugerwildtuin se visier: Elektroniese skyfies in lyf en horings ingespan teen wilddiefstal |work=Beeld |date=2009 |url=http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2009/11/28/B1/10/ccnoster.html |access-date=25 January 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516043159/http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2009/11/28/B1/10/ccnoster.html}}</ref> Due to international and national efforts, including a worldwide ban on ivory sales beginning in 1989, the poaching was abated for many years, but a sharp rise in 2014 has continued and the numbers of elephants poached per year in the park is growing at an alarming rate.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://citizen.co.za/news/south-africa/environment/2072654/pics-mounted-unit-protects-elephants-as-poaching-soars-in-knp/|title=PICS: Mounted unit protects elephants as poaching soars in KNP |date=2018 |website=The Citizen |access-date=2019-09-28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.poachingfacts.com/poaching-statistics/elephant-poaching-statistics//|title=Elephant Poaching Statistics |date=2019 |website=PoachingFacts.com |access-date=2019-09-28}}</ref>

Following approval by CITES, 47 [[tonnes]] of stockpiled ivory from Kruger were auctioned on 6 November 2008. The sale fetched approximately US$6.7 million which was allocated to increased anti-poaching measures. The intention was to flood the market, crash prices and make poaching less profitable. But instead, the legal sale was followed by "an abrupt, significant, permanent, robust and geographically widespread increase" in elephant poaching, as subsequent research showed.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2016/jun/13/legal-ivory-sale-drove-dramatic-increase-in-elephant-poaching-study-shows|title=Legal ivory sale drove a dramatic increase in elephant poaching, study shows |date=2016 |website=The Guardian |access-date=2024-05-12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nber.org/digest/sep16/w22314.html|title=Did a Legal Ivory Sale Increase Smuggling and Poaching? |date=2016 |work=The National Bureau of Economic Research |access-date=2019-09-28}}</ref>

The 2019 [[Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna]] summit voted down proposals for further one-off ivory sales from stockpiles for having led to increases in poaching across the continent.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2019/aug/22/cites-wildlife-summit-giraffe-protections-global-trade-parts-saiga-antelope-horn |title=Wildlife summit votes down plan to allow the sale of huge ivory stockpile |date=2019 |work=The Guardian |access-date=2019-09-28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.dw.com/en/cites-elephant-ivory-ban-upheld-but-legal-loopholes-remain/a-50118236|title=CITES: Elephant ivory ban upheld, but legal loopholes remain|date=2019 |work=DW |access-date=2019-09-28}}</ref> Across the continent the African elephant population decreased 30% in the period between 2007 and 2014. 
<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2016/08/wildlife-african-elephants-population-decrease-great-elephant-census/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190823034234/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/news/2016/08/wildlife-african-elephants-population-decrease-great-elephant-census/|url-status=dead|archive-date=23 August 2019 |title=African Elephant Numbers Plummet 30 Percent, Landmark Survey Finds|date=2016 |work=National Geographic |access-date=2019-09-28}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.greatelephantcensus.com/blog/2016/8/31/press-release-great-elephant-census-final-results|title=Press Release: Great Elephant Census Final Results |date=2016 |work=The Great Elephant Census |access-date=2019-09-28}}</ref>

=== Other ===
It is foreseen that the placement of wire traps to procure meat would eventually become the most challenging form of poaching.<ref name=ms>{{cite news |last=Swart |first=M. |title=Radikale reddingsplan |url= http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/11/13/B1/15/msrensoter.html |access-date=25 January 2013 |work=Beeld |date=2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130516043427/http://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2012/11/13/B1/15/msrensoter.html |archive-date=16 May 2013}}</ref> A scheme has been proposed to reward adjacent communities with the proceeds of game sales in return for their cooperation in game preservation.<ref name=ms/> The larger communities include Bosbokrand, Acornhoek, Hazyview, Hoedspruit, Komatipoort, Malelane, Marloth Park, Nelspruit and Phalaborwa.<ref name=cil/> Communities along the northern boundary have complained about a number of issues that affect them, including livestock killed by escaped predators.<ref name="ntl1">{{cite news |last1=Ntlemo |first1=Benson |title=Rural community threatens to shut down Kruger Park's Punda Maria gate |url=https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2020-11-25-rural-community-threatens-to-shut-down-kruger-parks-punda-maria-gate/ |access-date=7 December 2020 |agency=Mukurukuru Media |work=Daily Maverick |location=South Africa |date=25 November 2020}}</ref> In 2021 and 2022 there were cases of poisoning of carcasses near Punda Maria, evidently to obtain the body parts of scavengers.<ref name="maj1">{{cite news |last1=Majiet |first1=Laila |title=Over 100 animals killed in suspected poisoning in Kruger National Park |url=https://www.news24.com/citypress/news/sanparks-calls-on-law-enforcement-to-probe-animal-poisoning-at-kruger-national-park-20220811 |access-date=11 August 2022 |agency=City Press |publisher=news24.com |date=11 August 2022}}</ref> In 2025, at least 123 vultures died in a mass poisoning caused by the consumption of an elephant carcass laced by poachers with pesticides at the park.<ref>{{Cite web |date=8 May 2025 |title=More than 100 vultures die in a mass poisoning in South Africa’s flagship national park |url=https://apnews.com/article/vultures-poison-poachers-africa-wildlife-5eb501c68b143064929c0940dac2b8f1 |access-date=8 May 2025 |website=AP News}}</ref>

{{clear}}

== Gates to the Kruger Park ==
{{multiple image
| direction = vertical
| align     = right
| caption_align = center
| width     = 200
| header    = North & South Gates<br />Kruger National Park

| image1    = Pafuri Gate (North Entrance Kruger Park).jpg
| alt1      =
| caption1  = Pafuri Gate<br />(northernmost entrance to the park)
| image2    = Punda-Maria-Gate.jpg
| alt2      = Punda Maria Gate
| caption2  = Punda Maria Gate<br />(another northern entrance)
| image3    = Crocodile Bridge (near the South gate Kruger National Park).jpg
| alt3      =
| caption3  = Crocodile Bridge<br />(a southeastern entrance to the park)
| image4    = Phabeni.jpg
| alt4      =
| caption4  = Phabeni Gate<br />(a southwestern entrance to the park)

}}
The Kruger Park has the following gates:
{|class="wikitable sortable" style="font-size: 95%;"
|-
! Name !! Road !! From Town !! Coordinates 
|-
|Crocodile Bridge Gate|| on the extension of Rissik Street ||from [[Komatipoort]]||<small>{{coord|25|21|30|S|31|53|37|E|name=Crocodile Bridge Gate}}</small>
|-
|Malelane Gate|| on the [[R570 road (South Africa)|R570]] off the [[N4 road (South Africa)|N4]]||near [[Malelane]]||<small>{{coord|25|27|43|S|31|31|59|E|name=Malelane Gate}}</small>
|-
|Numbi Gate|| on the [[R569 road (South Africa)|R569 road]]||from [[Hazyview]]||<small>{{coord|25|9|19|S|31|11|51|E|name= Numbi Gate}}</small>
|-
|Phabeni Gate|| on the road off the [[R536 road (South Africa)|R536]] ||from [[Hazyview]]||<small>{{coord|25|01|30|S|31|14|29|E|name=Phabeni Gate}}</small>
|-
|Paul Kruger Gate|| on the [[R536 road (South Africa)|R536 road]] ||from [[Hazyview]]||<small>{{coord|24|58|53|S|31|29|7|E|name=Paul Kruger Gate}}</small>
|-
|Orpen Gate|| on the [[R531 road (South Africa)|R531 road]] ||from Klaserie||<small>{{coord|24|28|33|S|31|23|27|E|name=Orpen Gate}}</small>
|-
|Phalaborwa Gate|| on the [[R71 (Limpopo)|R71 road]]||from [[Phalaborwa]]||<small>{{coord|23|56|44|S|31|9|54|E|name=Phalaborwa Gate}}</small>
|-
|Punda Maria Gate|| on the [[R524 road (South Africa)|R524 road]] ||from [[Thohoyandou]]||<small>{{coord|22|44|18|S|31|0|33|E|name=Punda Maria Gate}}</small>
|-
|Pafuri Gate|| on the [[R525 road (South Africa)|R525 road]] ||from [[Musina]]||<small>{{coord|22|24|1|S|31|2|29|E|name=Pafuri Gate}}</small>
|}
{{clear}}

== See also ==
{{Portal|South Africa}}
* [[Abel Chapman]]
* [[Battle at Kruger]]
* [[Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park]]
* [[Hemmersbach Rhino Force]]
* [[Kruger to Canyons Biosphere]]
* [[Kruger National Park in the 1960s]] (a timeline of events)
* [[List of protected areas of South Africa]]
* [[Makuleke]]
* [[Sabi Sand Game Reserve]]
* [[SanWild Wildlife Sanctuary]]
* [[Skukuza]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Further reading ==
*{{cite book |last1=Carruthers |first1=Jane |title=The Kruger National Park: A Social and Political History |date=1995 |publisher=University of KwaZulu-Natal Press |location=Natal |isbn=9780869809150}}

== External links ==<!-- DO NOT ADVERTISE HERE! COMMERCIAL LINKS WILL BE REMOVED AS SPAM. -->
{{Sister project links |wikt=no |commons=Category:Kruger National Park |b=no |n=no |q=no |s=no |v=no |voy=Kruger National Park |species=no |d=no }}
{{GeoGroup}}
* {{Official website|https://www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/|Kruger National Park official website}}
* [http://www.sanparks.org/webcams/ Webcams in the Kruger]

{{Biodiversity of South Africa|proare}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Kruger National Park| ]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1926]]
[[Category:National parks of South Africa]]
[[Category:Protected areas of Limpopo]]
[[Category:Protected areas of Mpumalanga]]
[[Category:Border barriers]]
[[Category:1926 establishments in South Africa]]
[[Category:Zambezian and mopane woodlands]]