Cape Town – Four rhinos were reportedly killed and another was left injured by poachers in a private reserve just outside Cape Town, Inverdoorn Private Game Reserve said this week.
According to IOL, the discovery happened during a regular patrol by the reserve’s anti-poaching unit.
One of the four dead rhinos was pregnant.
“There is lots of blood, it is a horrific scene and it looks like a slaughter scene – all their horns have been cut. It is also tragic to note that one of the rhinos whose horns were cut was actually a synthetic horn which was part of a project to dehorn rhinos. One of the slaughtered rhinos had a realistic and lifelike fibreglass horn with zero value to these poachers,” the report quoted Johan van Schalkwyk, spokesperson for Aquila Collection as saying.
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The game reserve owner, Searl Derman, said they are offering a R100 000 reward for confidential information that will lead to the successful arrest of the culprits.
The incident comes at a time when the tourism industry and the private game lodges in the country are already under strenuous strain due to Covid-19, according to The Citizen.
Many private game reserves have gone bankrupt, slaughtered wildlife and cut staff and other resources to extend their lifeline as the pandemic continues to create havoc.
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Compiled by Sinothando Siyolo
