RHINO AND HER CALF POACHED IN GAUTENG GAME RESERVE

The owners and employees at the Bothong Rhino and Lion Park in Gauteng woke up to sad news on Wednesday morning.

Rangers heard shots fired in the reserve during the early hours of Wednesday morning. They immediately went to investigate and discovered the carcasses of the mom and her calf with the horn cut off the mom.

In a statement, the game reserve’s COO, Mike Fynn, said the quick response from the rangers helped a bit.

“Our rangers implemented search procedures immediately and discovered the carcasses of the mother and her calf at approximately 05:30. Due to the response of our rangers, the poachers only managed to remove one of the horns before leaving the scene. Sadly, both the mother and calf had been killed.”

He said due to poaching being a reality in South Africa, the game reserved spends between R350 000 and R5000 on anti-poaching security every month.

“This is a reminder that rhino poaching remains a crisis and that we will need to stay vigilant if our children's children are to have a chance to see one of Africa’s most iconic species living free. We will continue to do everything we can to help the authorities to bring these perpetrators to justice,” Flynn said.

Image credit: Brand South Africa