All rhinos at J-Bay game farm dehorned

THE Lombardini game farm outside Jeffreys Bay has dehorned all its rhinos in a bid to prevent further poaching.

This comes just weeks after three rhinos were killed in two separate incidents on the farm, bringing the total number poached in the Eastern Cape to 13 so far this year.

Yesterday, farm owner Johan Lottering said the remaining rhinos had been dehorned as part of a campaign to prevent further attacks. The number is being withheld for security reasons.

“All the existing rhinos on our farm were dehorned over two days last week. There are no rhinos with horns on our reserve.

“The main aim is to prevent any other poachings. We have also sent all the horns to a vault at a bank, which is where they are being held for safe-keeping.”

Lottering said a vet and a helicopter were used in the operation. “The rhinos were rounded up from the helicopter and then darted by the vet,” he said.

“This is the second time in three years we have done such dehorning. The horns grow back so it is something we are planning on doing more often.”

Lottering urged the government to legalise the trade in rhino horn. “If it becomes legal to trade the horn, it becomes a market that can be regulated.”

In the first incident at Lombardini, two rhinos – a mother and a three-month-old calf – were poached at the start of this month. Two weeks later, a rhino bull was poached.

In one of the incidents, a rhino survived after being darted with a tranquilliser and having her horns hacked off.

The rhino, named Hope, underwent an operation after being transferred to another game reserve in the Eastern Cape.