Another four rhinos killed

Four rhinos have been killed at Weenen Game Reserve in the last week.
It is suspected that the white rhinos were killed early last week. The carcasses were found by rangers at the KZN Ezemvelo-owned reserve. The first one was found on Friday and two more on Saturday. The fourth rhino was found on Monday morning. The horns on the fourth rhino were still intact. Ezemvelo spokesperson Musa Mntambo suspects that the hunters could not find the fourth rhino after it was shot and fled before they had a chance to butcher it. It is unclear as to how the poachers got into the reserve. There are currently no leads on who the killers might be and police are investigating.
Last year, a record 668 rhinos were poached for their horns, but that figure has already been eclipsed this year. 688 rhinos have already been killed this year and there are still three months to go, figures from the South African government show. There are around 18,000 white and 4000 black rhinos in the country. White rhinos are divided into two distinct subspecies: the Northern White Rhino and the Southern White Rhino. The Southern White Rhino is the least endangered of the living kinds of rhino, with a population of about 20,600. This species is classified as ‘Near Threatened’ by the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Unfortunately, only seven known Northern White Rhinos are still alive. The white rhino, along with the roughly equal-sized Indian rhino, is the largest species of land mammal after the elephant. White rhinos can live up to 50 years when they are not maliciously hunted for misguided medical reasons.
The dramatic growth in rhino poaching in South Africa, up from just 13 in 2007, has largely been driven by demand in Asia, in particular Vietnam, where rhino horn is seen as a status symbol. At the World Rhino Day parade in Pretoria on September 21, Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs Edna Molewa said that “our rhino population may still be viable and stable, but it will require concerted effort and the involvement of all to end the ongoing poaching of our rhino… Protecting our rhino is your responsibility. Protecting our rhino is my responsibility. Protecting our rhino is our responsibility as this collective.”