Rhino injured – one in custody
The Heritage Protection Group (HPG) is hot on the trail of the remaining suspected rhino poachers who shot and wounded a rhino just days after the world celebrated Rhino Day.
MOOKGOPHONG – A male rhino was attacked and injured on a farm outside Mookgophong on Sunday evening. A number of farmers along with members of the Community Policing Forum (CPF) and the HPG have joined forces in an attempt to locate and apprehend the suspects.
Member of the HPG, Sakkie Lourens says farmers in the area contacted the HPG asking for their assistance after they heard a gun shot.
“Luckily, the poachers fled the scene before they were able to de-horn the the rhino, and a vet from Thabazimbi was transported to the farm via helicopter to treat the injured rhino,” he explains.
He further says: “The farmers and the GPF blocked all the roads in the area and we followed the poachers trail until daybreak. On Monday morning, we pulled over a suspicious vehicle and found two pairs of shoes which match the prints of the fleeing poachers inside. The driver of the vehicle, who was previously arrested for unlawful possession of a firearm, was taken into custody and handed over to the Limpopo Rhino Task Team,” he says.
“We are still searching for the driver’s accomplices,” Lourens concluded.
