Thaindian News

July 20 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Wildlife experts from South Africa are requesting that immediate action be taken against poachers after they brutally killed the last female rhinoceros in Krugersdorp park, which is a popular wildlife and game reserve near Johannesburg. The rhino was left to bleed to death after her horn was hacked off, with a distressed calf nearby.

According to these wildlife officials, poaching for these horns has soared to an all time high. This is partially due to people who mistakenly believe that the rhino horns have healing properties, when research suggests otherwise. Celebrities who encourage the use of these practices, such as Elle MacPherson, cause a great deal of harm for these animals.

These rhinos are on the extremely endangered species list, and will soon become extinct without quick action. Japie Mostert, who is the chief game ranger at the 1500 hectare wildlife and game reserve stated, “Last year, 129 rhinos were killed for their horns in South Africa. This year, we have already had 136 deaths.”

A spokeswoman for South African National Parks, Wanda Mkutshulwa explained that the investigations which were underway in the case of these poachers has recently been focused on the country’s organised crime groups. “We are dealing with very focused criminals. Police need to help game reserves because they are not at all equipped to handle crime on such an organised level,”

Just last week, five men were arrested in the park for poaching, two of them caught with bloody rhino horns. “”The exercise takes them very little time. They first fly over the park in the late afternoon to locate where the rhino is grazing. Then they return at night and dart the animal from the air. The tranquilliser takes less than seven minutes to act. They saw off the horns with a chainsaw. They do not even need to switch off the rotors of the helicopter. We do not hear anything because our houses are too far away. The animal dies either from an overdose of tranquilliser or bleeds to death,” Mostert explains.

Perhaps the most sad truth is the fact that the death of the rhino would not even be necessary to get the horn. If the rhino horn did indeed serve a medical purpose, they can be removed safely and will grow back. Harvesting the horn would not kill the animal if properly done, and the animal would actually be able to produce a new horn for later harvest. As pointed out earlier, however, no health benefits have ever been proven from the ingestion of rhino horns.