Heinous act exposes country’s shock reality
A series of confronting photos has revealed the shocking reality sweeping this country with the sickening acts on the rise. Warning: Graphic content
South Africa is home to an impressive number of safari game reserves, highlighting the country’s invaluable contribution to wildlife tourism.
There’s just over 40 to choose from, making it one of the best destinations to experience a safari.
However, given the country’s rich biodiversity and diverse range of wildlife, it makes it the ultimate destination for poaching – a huge problem faced by private game reserves that aim to protect and preserve animals including the Big Five – lions, leopards, elephant, buffalo and rhino.
I recently visited Inverdoorn Private Game Reserve, a 10,000 hectare reserve, located at the gates of Karoo – about a three-hour drive from Cape Town.
The reserve, owned by Aquila Collection, has various animal rehabilitation projects aimed to help restore Karoo’s natural wildlife heritage, including a cheetah conservation initiative.
A bucket list experience no doubt, with the property home to stylish accommodation designed to complement the arid beauty of the Karoo.
Tragic reality
However, with the largest selection of wild game in the region, four of the reserve’s rhino fell victim to a mass murder back in 2021 where they had their horns brutally removed by poachers.
The reserve’s Anti-Poaching Unit discovered the rhinos – two had already succumbed to their injuries, while the remaining two, although still alive, were severely injured. They later died. A fifth, pregnant rhino was also found. She was shot in the face and miraculously survived her injuries and eventually gave birth to a male calf.
Allegedly, large calibre rifle rounds from silenced weapons were identified on the scene, with four people arrested at the time.
Three years on from the shocking incident, the mother and son are thriving, although the reserve cannot disclose exactly how many rhinos roam the 10,000 hectare estate.
It’s the same for other endangered species – a security measure if you will – to help protect the animals from potential incidents such as the recent horrifying rhino attack.
During an early morning game drive, I was lucky enough to see three rhinos, including a young rhino which I can only assume is the calf all grown up.
“We had an incident a few years ago where poachers attacked and killed some of our rhinos and because of that we can’t disclose how many we have,” our ranger told us as we watched these incredible animals in ore.
However, there was one thing I immediately noticed about the rhinos – their horns had been removed.
The reserve, similarly to other reserves, use the practice of horn trimming to mitigate the risk of potential poaching incidents.
When speaking to Aquila’s group marketing and trade manager, Johan Van Schalwyk, he explained the value of the crime is measured based on the horn size hacked from the killed animals.
“Therefore, under strict veterinary and medical guidance, horns are trimmed to lower the potential value of the loot. This is a perfectly safe project in the interest of protecting our endangered wildlife numbers.”
He explained that while Inverdoorn has continued to invest in its anti-poaching units and staff training, unfortunately rhino poaching crimes are a “complicated net of criminals, syndicates and others”.
According to environmental magazine, The Ecologist, a staggering 499 rhinos were killed by poachers in South Africa in 2023, an increase of 51 on the poaching numbers for 2022.
“And while most private game reserves have anti-poaching units – these syndicates attack without remorse or concern. We can therefore only continue to work on our private security and protection programmes to make sure we do our best to protect rhinos and other endangered species throughout private game reserves in South Africa,” Mr Van Schalwyk said.
At the time, Aquila Collection’s property owner Searl Derman said he and his staff were left “traumatised” by the incident, adding he is “repulsed” it has come to this – about the rhino horn trimmings.
“For a very long time we have been trying to avoid this situation. As we are not pro cutting horns off entirely, we have opted to trim the horns to such an extent that it hopefully becomes unviable for criminals to risk life and limb to poach these endangered species,” he explained at the time.
Rhino horns grow back between 6cm and 8cm per year.
It was reassuring to witness the efforts the reserve has gone to in protecting these animals ever since it first introduced rhinos as part of its Big Five initiative back in 2012.
And while it was a highlight to see the rhinos during our game drive, it was also magical to see all the other animals roaming the reserve, especially the cheetahs and lions.
We were lucky enough to see a cheetah run and learn about the reserve’s captive cheetah rescue project.
Given there’s only 7,500 cheetahs remaining worldwide, with numbers continuing to dwindle, it was an unforgettable experience to see these animals in person.
As part of the rehabilitation process, a number of cheetah have to run for their supper by chasing a lure down a runway up to 120kmph. At the end point, they are rewarded with food. Guests only observe from a vantage point.
Inverdoorn continues to strike a balance between tourism and conservation, sharing a deep passion for wildlife and nature with visitors – and for someone who has never done a safari – it was an unforgettable experience.
Meanwhile, Uber has just launched Uber Safari in Cape Town in partnership with Aquila Collection.
The day trip is part of its ‘Go Anywhere’ series and costs a $US200 – $A290 – flat fee for up to four guests.
This writer travelled to Cape Town as a guest of Uber Australia
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