Two rhinos poached at Shamwari
Two rhinos were found shot dead at Shamwari Game Reserve near Port Elizabeth on Saturday night.
Shamwari vet Dr Johan Joubert said yesterday the adult white rhino cow and her calf had been shot with a rifle and their horns chopped off.
The carcasses were found in the northwest of the reserve where there is no road access and the poachers had apparently accessed the area by foot.
“It seems the rhinos were shot about four days ago, but they were not found until now because it is a remote area.
“The rifle the poachers used was a heavy calibre and it seems they used an axe to remove the horns.
“We have not had any rhinos poached at Shamwari for six to seven years until now, so this is very upsetting.”
Joubert said it was possible that the incident was linked to the two recent poaching incidents in the past fortnight in the region, but further investigation would clarify if this was so.
Poachers killed a rhino on Thorndale Safari Farm in Kirkwood on June 21 and another at Kragga Kamma Game Park in Port Elizabeth on June 29.
An investigation into the Shamwari incident, led by the reserve’s head of security Rodney Visser – a former colonel in the police organised crime unit, has been launched.
Ten rhinos have now been killed by poachers in the Eastern Cape this year. A total of 1 028 rhino were slaughtered in South Africa last year. –