Bottle-fed baby rhino poached

During the early hours of this morning, a bottle-raised white rhino bull was found shot with both its horns removed at the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve.

This rhino was brought to the reserve after its mother was poached in Musina 16 months ago, and was hand-reared by the reserve.

“He was a tame and friendly rhino, who came to you when you called him,” said Ed Hern, owner of nature reserve, and this is what lead to his death.

The poachers allegedly called the rhino to the fence, and once he was at the fence they shot him and removed its horns.

The reserve has been actively involved in the Rhino Rescue Project which aims to address the demand for rhino horn by taking proactive steps towards eradicating the demand. All the rhinos in the reserve have had their horns treated against ticks and other parasites, which makes them unfit for human consumption.

Ed is appealing to the public for support and assistance in helping to prevent incidents like this from taking place. They already have guards out at night, but they need to put out more if they want to keep their rhinos safe.

If you would like to find or more or get involved, you can contact Ed on 011 957 0082 or 083 250 5887.

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