Two sad snippets of news out of our Africa this week, have gone unnoticed by the world at large. Neither story will have any impact on global economy or world politics and would have been largely ignored by mainstream media, unless they were picked up to be manipulated for the awwww factor. But both of these events perfectly illustrate why humans who care, have to intervene; becoming the buffers between a wild and ancient world and the mechanically enlightened murderers of the twenty-first century.
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| Another Baby Elephant Calf |
Kunda was only three weeks old when he was discovered, stressed and terrified, on a busy trucking highway in north-western Zimbabwe. Somehow he had become separated from his mother and his herd (very unusual - maybe poachers got his mother) and was facing certain death; His rescuers lost the three-week battle to keep him alive on Thursday, last week. In his brief stay in captivity, his wonderful character enchanted all those involved in his care. Read the full story here...
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| Rhinos in the Veld |
Rhino Poaching Increases...
Rhino poaching is on the rise; in South Africa, the WWF (World Wildlife Foundation) stated government statistics showed 448 rhinos were lost to poaching in 2011 over the figure of 333, the all time high the year before. With South Africa losing twenty-one rhinos to poachers in the first fifteen days of 2012, rhino losses will set a new record this year.
At the Lion and Rhino Nature Reserve in the Cradle of Humankind, Spencer, the old bull rhino, was just the latest in the herd to have his horn removed; a necessary anti-poaching measure to save these threatened animals. He died of unknown causes, while undergoing this commonplace procedure on Friday, last week. Spencer will be autopsied to try to establish the cause of his death.
You can read more about this loss here...
I say, Spencer was a "technical death by poacher", maybe so was Kunda. Who knows? What would you say is the true figure of death by poacher? Is it really four hundred and forty-eight Rhino? I personally don't think so. This is a point for review, on all animals poached.
Much of the death, cost and suffering with far-reaching consequences, I lay at the poachers' door. So many times, vets and conservationists are blamed for the deaths of animals, when in fact the poacher issue is never considered.
So much unsaid is "technical death by poacher"!
“One must not give up on trying to help orphaned and vulnerable wildlife, despite the heartbreaks.”
Conservation expert: Gordon Putterill
