Charging rhino gores former top SA ranger

FORMER Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife rhino protector Lawrence Munro is recovering in a Johannesburg hospital after he was gored by a black rhino while attempting to shield a group of tourists from the charging animal during a walking safari in Malawi.

He was airlifted to a private hospital after suffering serious wounds to one of his legs. He is reported to be recovering well.

Regarded as one of Ezemvelo’s most passionate anti-poaching officers‚ Munro left the organisation 18 months ago to join the African Parks network as field operations manager for Malawi’s Liwonde National Park.

It is understood that he was escorting a group of tourists in Liwonde when a black rhino charged the group last week.

African Parks confirmed yesterday that Munro and fellow rhino ranger Maxwell Mulenga stood in front of the charging beast to protect the guests.

Munro was gored in the leg‚ while a guest also injured his ankle during the melee. Mulenga was not injured.

“Fortunately, both will fully recover. We were very grateful that there were no other injuries to anyone else.”

The animal charged off into the bush after the attack.

Before leaving South Africa in late 2015‚ Munro was at the frontline of rhino anti-poaching efforts in Ezemvelo’s flagship HluhluweImfolozi Park.

Munro was commended by Ezemvelo in 2009 for his role in arresting four rhino poachers.

In 2014, he was honoured as one of the winners in the annual Rhino Conservation Awards, which are organised by the Department of Environmental Affairs‚ private donors and the Game Rangers Association of Africa.

Previously head ranger of the Imfolozi wilderness area at the Makhamisa outpost‚ Munro became head of Ezemvelo’s Rhino Operations Unit‚ an anti-poaching task force for the whole of KwaZulu-Natal.

The award citation noted that Munro’s line of work was “unforgiving‚ unrelenting and dangerous” and that he and his young family had to be constantly on guard.

Munro said at the time that he had received a number of death threats. “Letters addressed to me say: ‘We don’t want you around anymore.’ ”

Commenting on Facebook yesterday, the Game Rangers Association of Africa wished Munro a speedy recovery‚ while former Ezemvelo colleague Paul Havemann said it was time he found a safer job behind a desk.