RHINO SLAUGHTER

 

October 03, 2008

Zululand OBSERVER

	RHINO SLAUGHTER FOUR White Rhinos have been slaughtered and their horns removed in a poaching strike in the Masinda section of the Hhluhluwe-iMfolozi Park. Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife reports that field rangers on a routine patrol came across the carcass of a White Rhino in the Makhandendlovu area. The horns had been cleanly removed. The field rangers immediately reported this and iMfolozi Conservation Manager, Dave Robertson, alerted the local SAPS and other EKZNW staff. When the investigating group examined the tracks of the animal, they found a further two carcasses, an adult female and a sub-adult calf, about 200 metres away. A fourth carcass was then discovered about 30 metres further beyond. The horns of all four animals had been cleanly removed with a sharp instrument, indicating that someone with considerable experience had been at work. After a thorough examination of the area and a search for any clues, the group left the site under guard to protect the carcasses from scavengers. Heavy calibre Postmortems conducted the next day by the EKZNW veterinary surgeon revealed that all four animals had been shot with a heavy calibre rifle some five days previously. All four animals appeared to have been shot at about the same time and all four lay in rough and remote terrain covered in thick bush - a factor that would have masked the sound of the gunshots. EKZNW staff are working closely with the SAPS on the case and appeal to members of the public who might have any information about this incident to contact the Conservation Manager of iMfolozi, Dave Robertson, on 035 5508481, the Wildlife Investigator for the Zululand region, Michael Mfuleka, on 083 6641314, or the Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife hotline 0800 2121 26. All calls will be treated in the strictest confidence.