Cruel Legacy for Poachers Who Cater for Exotic Tastes. (31 December, 1996)

Giraffe, white rhinos, kudu, warthog and prize bonsmara cattle in private game parks are increasingly falling prey to poachers. 'More than 20 km of game fencing, amounting to over R100 000 has been torn down over the last few months, said Julie Prinsloo who owns a piece of land which borders on to a game farm near Soshanguve. 'Poachers have even burnt down the farm house and a lapa on the reserve,' she continued.

She said both the police and the army had been called in to assist but felt there was very little they could do, as it was a long-term problem. 'The perpetrators of the slaughter are apparently from Mamelodi and not from the informal settlements in the area, as initially thought,' claimed Ms Prinsloo who has tried to establish friendly links with the informal settlers. 'If the poaching is done by the local people, I think traditional huts should be built on the reserve as has been done in other reserves, for the locals to sell their wares. In this manner they can be taught the value of conservation and tourism,' said Ms Prinsloo.

The problem has recently escalated. Game farms all over the country are experiencing the same problem. Ms Susan Spencer who helps out on the farm, said the poacher's exotic menu consisted of giraffe, a rhino which they snared, hippos and warthog which are snared or dug out of their holes and then hacked to death with an axe. The two women recently rescued baby male and female warthogs.

Ms Prinsloo said she found a cow that had crawled for 2 km on the stumps of her hacked-off legs to get to water. 'The poachers hunt with packs of dogs. Once the dogs have distracted the cattle, the poachers cut the tendons of the cattle's hind legs with pangas,' said Ms Prinsloo. 'They don't kill the cattle, only maim them. 'This allows the poachers to come back later for the rest and still have a fresh supply of meat,' she added. On one night, thirty head of cattle were maimed in this manner, with the rustlers only using the meat of a few of the animals. By Boyd Webb. Courtesy of the Pretoria News.