On 16 September Askari Game Lodge staff discovered that one of its rhinos had been slaughtered.
The game lodge, which is situated in Krugersdorp on the West Rand, reported that the rhino was still alive when poachers hacked her horn off.
According to Askari Game Lodge General Manager Graham Shipway, they had become suspicious after the rhino went missing that morning.
“She was found Monday afternoon after she had gone missing the morning. She had been shot with a large-calibre rifle. From the marks on the ground, we can see she had struggled and that she wasn’t dead when they hacked the horn off. She was expected to give birth in the next couple of months,” says Shipway.
“Her daughter, who is two-and-a-half years old, was with her at the time of the shooting, but she ran off.”
He continued that police, anti-poaching units, special investigators, neighbours and reserve staff all searched together and continued well into the night before the stressed youngster was found.
“Investigators are working around the clock and a reward is offered for any information that will lead to an arrest has. In these times we urge the public to help us by supporting our Rhino campaign and help us to keep our rhinos safe,” adds Leon Bosch, Guvon Hotels Operations Director.
