Five rhino poached at Komani game reserve

IN A blow for anti-poaching efforts in the Eastern Cape, five rhinos have been killed in two separate attacks on the same private game reserve over the past three weeks.

In the latest attack at the Wildschutsberg Game Reserve in the Stormberg mountain range near Komani (formerly Queenstown) at the weekend, three rhino were shot.

A cow survived but later died during attempts to save the animal.

The spate of poaching attacks has left reserve owner Greg Harvey outraged as its entire rhino population has been wiped out.

The poachers escaped with minimal rhino horn as the rhino had been dehorned, leaving only stumps.

It is suspected a syndicate targeted the reserve and were also responsible for two rhino poaching incidents on October 1.

The attack bears a striking similarity to another attack on the same reserve in 2014 when two white rhinos, both breeding dead.

So far this year, 11 rhino have been poached in the Eastern Cape, while last year 19 were killed.

The police stock theft and endangered species unit has taken over the probe with the assistance of investigators from Environmental Affairs.

An angry Harvey said his entire rhino population had been wiped out in one month.

“It is just madness. I had five rhinos that were of breeding age and now they are gone in the blink of an eye.”

Harvey said in the first attack on October 1 the two bulls were shot and killed in broad daylight.

“It was a Sunday and the two rhino were seen at about 11am. By 4pm, I got a panicked phone call from a person on the farm saying that it looks like there had been a poaching.

“I launched the helicopter straight away and spotted both dead rhinos about 300m apart in the bush.

“Unfortunately, attempts to track and locate the poachers bulls, were shot failed.”

Harvey said in the latest incident at the weekend, the last three rhinos – two female and a male – were shot on Sunday night.

“We found their carcasses on Monday morning after a staff member spotted one of the rhino in the distance.”

Harvey said the alarm was raised and the helicopter was used to scout the area.

“It was then that we saw one of the rhinos was still alive while the other two were lying close by but dead. They were scattered only a few metres apart. The one that was alive was sitting upright so we immediately landed the helicopter and called the vet.

“We spent most of Monday morning trying to save the rhino but unfortunately she succumbed to her injury.”

Police and Harvey suspect a staff member had leaked information to a syndicate, which had then targeted his rhino twice.

Provincial police spokeswoman Colonel Sibongile Soci said police had been to the scene and were investigating.