Heartless poachers have killed a 10-day-old baby impala  in an orgy of violence that stretched across two private game reserves.

About 20 poachers with close to 100 dogs were spotted on the Tugela Private Game Reserve just after 6am this morning (November 27) by guards patrolling the reserve. At least two of the poachers were seen carrying dead animals.

The guards gave chase and the poachers were forced to flee into the adjacent Platrand Game Reserve.  Attempts to get the police to respond initially  fell on deaf ears.

When the guards managed to corner two suspected poachers with the carcass of a dead warthog and a baby impala, they radioed for help.

While waiting for police, about 20 community members surrounded the guards and forced them to release the two poachers.

“The guards are lucky to have escaped with their lives,” explained a visibly upset Jabu Campher.

“The police take too long to respond and when they do, they just let the hunters and their dogs go…” “This is a defenseless baby impala they killed. You cannot say it is for food.”

An angry 18-year-old Enry Campher is seen in the photo above, holding the dead baby impala in his arms. “These poachers do not care what they kill…”

“You would think we would be used to seeing baby animals like this killed, ruthlessly ripped apart by packs of hunting dogs, but you never get used to it,” says father Jabu Campher.  “This little ‘Bambi’ was torn from its mother by over 100 dogs; this is not a sport, but brutal murder.”