Even one rhino lost to poaching is one rhino too many. This was the message on the International Rhino Day as guests and staff at the Madikwe Game Reserve in the North West province took to foot to raise awareness and funds for the plight of these animals.
This is just one day after the Department of Environmental Affairs revealed that 507 rhinos had been killed for their horns between January and September 2018.
While authorities have indicated that there is a decline in the number of rhinos lost, rangers on the ground say that a decline is not enough. Of the 50 rhinos poached in the North West, only three were killed in Madikwe.
Despite being praised as one of the safe spaces for these pachyderms, the people working round the clock say they will only declare success when this number drops to zero.
Local and international guests, community members and staff from the various lodges walked through the reserve in the footsteps of the rhino, past photos of the carcasses of the 75 rhino killed in Madikwe since the start of the crisis.
More than R30 000 has been raised to fund anti-poaching and counter poaching efforts in the park.
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