Shamwari poaching stories- Shamwari Game Reserve hit by rhino poachers

One of the Wilderness Foundation’s Indalo members, Shamwari Game Reserve was

hit by rhino poachers yesterday morning (Monday, November 7, 2011).

Management at the reserve are unable to divulge specific details, but The Herald

reported that two rhino were targeted in the attack – a mother and her two year old

calf.

Both rhinos were darted, and horns removed. Even the tiny horns of the youngster

were hacked off. According to reports, the mother’s face was mutilated by the

poachers who tried to remove as much of the horn as possible before escaping.

The calf survived the attack, and was found by Shamwari rangers lying next to its

mother, exhausted from the stress of the attack and blood loss.

Shamwari Group ecologist John O’Brian said that the young rhino had been given a

drip to restore lost blood, and was injected with a painkiller. He has been taken to the

rehabilitation centre where he will receive further treatment. This latest incident of

poaching comes as a shock to all at the reserve, as the poachers managed to evade a

highly organised anti-poaching team.

According to The Herald, Eastern Cape Green Scorpions head Div de Villiers said,

“We are aiming to create a proactive and reactive anti-poaching group that will see

these poachers come off second best.”

In May 2011, the Wilderness Foundation launched the Forever Wild Rhino

Protection Initiative. The campaign aims to gather support from the public and

various stakeholders to help fight against rhino poaching in South Africa and save the

rhino from extinction.

The Wilderness Foundation has set up a petition

(www.wildernessfoundation.co.za/savetherhinos/) to voice the public’s outcry over

the cruelty of rhino poaching. The petition, which will be taken to the highest

governmental powers, is a vital part of the Wilderness Foundation’s lobbying

campaign. The Foundation will lobby governments to change and enforce laws

regarding the importation of rhino horn into foreign countries.