POACHING has been blamed for disappointing rhino prices at an Eastern Cape Parks game auction on Saturday.

Though more than R7-million was raised through the sale of hundreds of surplus game at provincial parks, CEO Sybert Liebenberg admitted he was somewhat disappointed that the three white rhino did not sell for more.

"Keeping rhino has become a huge security risk. Though the prices for the rhino were very low we are satisfied with what we got."

Two females and a male were sold to a proxy for a "conservationist" mystery buyer from Eastern Cape for R630,000.

According to Liebenberg the decision to sell the last three remaining white rhino in Eastern Cape provincial parks was in line with departmental policy to only keep animals that are indigenous to the region.

As a result no black rhino were offered for auction at the Thomas Baines Nature Reserve, on the outskirts of Grahamstown.

Liebenberg said the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency had a moral and legal responsibility to ensure that whoever bought the rhino would not sell them to hunters.

"Every rhino buyer gets vetted to ensure the animals will not be hunted. Other species sold were fair game for hunters."

While quips from auctioneer Roy Hayes, like "the price is to low, boet, do you want a loan" got bidders laughing, they did not appear to dig deeper in their pockets.

Overall low prices have been blamed on the global economic recession and high petrol costs to relocate animals from seven parks throughout the province to their new homes on private game reserves.

Other species that went under the hammer included zebra, red hartebeest, two giraffe, black wildebeest and eland.

ECPTA chairman Vuyo Zitumane said every cent raised would be reinvested in conservation

"It is part of our responsibility to generate enough revenue on our own without being fully dependent on the government," he said.