Rhino lovers around the country have been shaken to the core
by the news that the total rhino poached for this year alone stands at an incredible
80!!! The news that another 2 rhino
were poached this week in the Pretoriuskop area of the Kruger National Park brings
the total there to a horrific 43 in the Kruger Park already this year.
The carnage MUST be stopped somehow!!! The further shocking news that 4 SANParks
officials have been arrested as a result of the latest poaching leaves one with
a true bitter/sweet taste. How
disgusting that the very people we have looked to, to protect our precious
rhino have perpetrated this atrocity. Greed eats away the very fabric of our
society and to anticipate that the poachers get the full force of the law
coming down on them will go some way to making amends to society.
On the other side, congratulations must go to the team that
tracked them down and arrested them…the great thing is, no matter who they are,
one group of poachers have been taken out of circulation. Hopefully this will
have a significant effect on the poaching stats. It appears that this group may
be responsible for many of the 11 poaching’s which have taken place in the area
they were operating in. We can only live in hope.
Unite against Poaching is committed to supporting the
SANparks rangers in their war against poaching and it is dreadful that a
handful of greedy, unscrupulous rouges
taint the reputation of the dedicated field rangers who continue to do an
amazing job under extremely difficult conditions.
Due to the labour dispute by a group of rangers, the Honorary
Rangers have stepped in to pick up the duties of the strikers. Reading the
field reports from these volunteers makes one even more respectful of the true
hardships our dedicated rangers endure to protect the rhino in the Kruger Park.
I will with their permission, publish some of these diary entries.
May the arrest of
these 4 SANParks officials signify the turning of the tide which is sweeping
across our country and let’s hope the numbers do not continue to rocket as they
have already in the first 60 days of 2012.
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