Four rhinos were poached at the Lalibela Private Game Reserve in the Eastern Cape on September 26.
The game reserve's Facebook page reported that there were no visible bullet wounds on any of the rhinos and it was likely that they were poisoned.
“Poachers entered Lalibela, probably in the early hours of the morning, and darted and tranquilised the four rhino. The rhino grouped together in a typically protective formation and collapsed under the effects of the tranquiliser. Most likely, whilst still alive, they were all de-horned by the poachers using saws. Three of the four rhinos were dead when they were discovered. The fourth, a pregnant cow, was still alive but barely so. We communicated this to the Dept. of Environmental Affairs and were given the go-ahead to euthanise the cow,” said the reserve’s Facebook page.
"The management and staff are still in a state of shock at what happened at Lalibela Game Reserve. While we are all aware of the poaching epidemic in South Africa, it is nonetheless still traumatic when one is affected directly, in the way we were. We are humbled by the messages of support from around the country, from the tourism industry, from past guests and from complete strangers around the world. The investigation into this heinous crime is being conducted by the various authorities and is out of our hands at this stage,” said Vernon Wait Lalibela’s Marketing Director.
“Our focus now is to continue with our conservation efforts on Lalibela. With regard to our own rhino conservation, we appeal to the various organisations involved in rhino conservation to contact us if they are able to assist or advise us. We are determined not to allow this incident to affect our conservation mission."
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