MEMBERS of the Richards Bay Organised Crime Unit were called out on Sunday after two adult white rhino and a two year old calf were found brutally killed and dehorned in the iSimangaliso Wetland Park (iWP).
The carcasses had been discovered by rangers in the remote Tewate Wilderness section of the park, where there is no road access.
‘The adult male and female had both horns crudely hacked off, ears had been removed along with some skin and flesh. The skull of calf had been removed,’ said iWP CEO Andrew Zaloumis.
‘While on a routine patrol a few days earlier, rangers had observed a lone white rhino calf and were following up the possible mortality of the calf’s mother.
‘Crime scene investigations were undertaken and investigators found .375 projectiles at each of the carcasses.
‘This cold blooded murder is a most cruel and calculated assault on South Africa’s first world heritage site.
‘With the tightening up of anti rhino poaching measures in the Kruger, it appears that increasing poaching effort is being deflected to Parks like iSimangaliso,’ said Zaloumis.
‘Anti rhino poaching strategies in iSimangaliso are continually interrogated and improved.
‘Advocates and investigators who specialize in wildlife crime as well as forensic experts and labs are used by iSimangaliso to ensure leads and evidence are pursued to the full in bringing criminals to book.
There is a R100 000 reward offered for information that leads to a conviction for poaching rhino. Contact the confidential 24-hour number 082 7977944.
This is heart breaking!! Wish I could help!
they must also be slautered just as they did to the rino`s. Our people must all standup and do samething. the hole of SA
Until South Africa (and other African countries) REALLY get serious about poaching, these cruel tragedies will continue. Poaching is eco-terrorism. Poachers are eco-terrorists. Acts of eco-terrorism should carry a mandatory death penalty sentence when perpetrators are apprehended. Also, rangers and conservation staff should be able to operate under “shoot to kill” rights, and “hot pursuit” across international borders solely for the sake of capturing poachers should be allowed/legal. Until these changes are made, these disgusting and cruel crimes will continue. Also, I believe that ALL the African countries who are spending vast amounts of money on trying to protect their wildlife (all species) should band together and sue china, vietnam and other sino-asian countries who make up the consumer market for horn, ivory and body parts, in international court to recoup money spent on wildlife protection.
Let’s use drones to kill poachers and death penalty to guilty parties.