The GCN received an interesting call from Danie Olkers, who believed he had found a rhino horn hidden in Elsburg.
Olkers explained that he was in Van Riebeeck Street, when he noticed something sticking out of the ground under a public dustbin.
He went over to investigate and, with a little digging, uncovered what he believes is a rhino horn.
“Shortly after I made the discovery, I noticed an Elsburg SAPS patrol vehicle, so I stopped it and asked the officers to have a look at the horn,” Olkers explained.
“They gave the horn a quick look and said it was a mould, and not the real thing.”
Olkers was not convinced and asked a friend to come and look at the object.
“He is a hunter and after cutting into the horn said he believed it is a real rhino horn,” he said.
Olkers explained that he just wanted to know if it is real or a fake, and added that if it is real he was more than willing to hand it over to the authorities.
The Organised Crime Unit, whose work includes endangered species, has since seized the horn.
“I was told the horn underwent DNA testing which showed that it was, in fact, a fake,” Olkers said.
“The officer I spoke to said that it was an incredible copy, so close to the real thing that most people would believe it was real.”
Olkers claims he was also warned to be aware of scammers, as this was the second fake rhino horn found in the Germiston area.
Have you had a similar experience?
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How do you tell if a rhino horn is real or fake?
