Sickening......

I received these from a friend in SA today..Nick is a former Rhodesian conservation officer who now lives in SA..these were taken recently from a Rhino mutilation in Colenso.

Apparently the poachers are going hi-tech and using darting so as not to make any noise. This rhino was apparently darted and had the horn chain-sawed off while still alive....apparently it was cut all the way through the hard palate and it is assumed the animal was put down.

I apologize if these has been shown before.....felt it needed to be shared.
Jason

Jfowler,

Thats brutal , wish could chain saw these damn poachers limb by limb , very sad & unfortunate .. The cause has to be taken up with all the hunting & conseravtion operatives. SAD !!

Monish

Originally Posted by monish

Jfowler,

Thats brutal , wish could chain saw these damn poachers limb by limb , very sad & unfortunate .. The cause has to be taken up with all the hunting & conseravtion operatives. SAD !!

Monish

X2!

That is barbaric... These poachers deserve some SERIOUS punishment. Like life imprisonment maybe?

Very sad indeed. The high tech part of it is quite true from what I understand. My PH was telling me that the poachers are also using helicopters to locate animals. I thought that quite obvious at first but on second thought it's a smart way to go about it. Using helicopters, the animals as well as rangers can be spotted quite easily. Find an animal away from the eyes of the rangers and use radios to provide the location to the poachers on the ground.

Quite an expensive operation but it goes to show you how much the horns are worth on the blackmarket. Much like the issue in the U.S. of drug smuggling across our borders, if there wasn't a demand for the product there wouldn't be any smuggling. I'm not excusing the poachers in any way, but just hold those who buy the horns equally responsible.

Originally Posted by PHOENIX PHIL

...but just hold those who buy the horns equally responsible.

Maybe we need to start sending free viagra to China.

Originally Posted by Bearkat

Maybe we need to start sending free viagra to China.

I don't think it's the Chinese alone. One of the guides on my photo safari was explaining that Rhino horn has become the newest hedge fund for the rich, said the rich are buying them and holding them. I also heard while I was there that Rhino poaching had severely spiked during the World Cup. Very sad, they're such an impressive animal.

I have never seen a true effort to stop the consumers, in the drug wars here in America the most efficient way to disrupt an unlawful circle is to stop it in the selling grounds ,where is easier to spot, not on the field, bush, mountains and jungle where the raw material is produced but on the cities where it is consumed, there are more police, more witness, more resources in a city than in the outdoors, why is it there are no international agencies catching CONSUMERS AND RESELLERS AND CARTELS, like the DEA, can we hunters do anything in this regard?

wish i could chain saw their head

Very sad indeed. Very sad.

nd

Ibie,

Thats instantaneous death what you suggest , Limb by limb is what they deserve . Horrific !!!!! The poor animal had to undergo such agony ....