MOSSEL BAY NEWS - "It was a gruesome scene. The poor rhino suffered a barbarous death."
This is how a policeman described the scene at Botlierskop Private Game Reserve on the outskirts of Great Brak River after a rhino carcass was found on the reserve last Thursday morning.
According to Captain Bernadine Steyn, provincial police spokesperson, evidence found on the scene indicated that the bull, aged 12, was shot with a tranquilliser gun before poachers chopped off his horns with a panga and left him to bleed to death. The horns are valued at R700 000.
Mellisa Hills from the Mossel Bay Advertiser spoke to a devastated Arno Neethling, owner of Botlierskokp. He said, "It’s absolutely gruesome to see what people are willing to do. We’re in desperate times now."
They still spotted the rhino the previous night at 19:45 when they had gone out on their daily checks. The next morning they found the carcass.
"It must have been done in the middle of the night when there was a lot of rain because it took place in quite a busy area. It’s a real tragedy and what bothers me the most is that it was well planned. I just hope that someone saw something," said Neethling.
He, together with the police, urges anyone with information to contact the investigating officer, Lieutenant Colonel Lise Potgieter from the organised crime unit in Cape Town, at 021 918 3000.
Police also requested other farmers in the area who own rhinos to report any suspicious activities of persons to their nearest police station immediately.
21 rhinos poached this year
The CEO of SANParks, Dr David Mabunda, announced that South Africa has lost 21 rhinos last month alone.
"The loss of 333 rhinos to poaching in 2010 was a devastating loss for us, but we are determined that in 2011 this should not happen. Anyone who is involved in poaching at whatever level will be a prime target for our investigations and we will leave no stone unturned in this respect, including going for the kingpins of these operations."
SANParks also announced the implementation of a new tool to assist in the fight against rhino poaching.
They plan on documenting individual rhino DNA and using the information to link recovered rhino horns to specific crime scenes, which will enable them to pin individuals to a specific crime and to prosecute them for more than the lesser crime of possession of the horns.
ARTICLE: LIZETTE DA SILVA
