2 rhinos die in safe sanctuary

Questions are raised after it was disclosed during the recent meeting of the Polokwane Municipal Council that two of the 10 white rhinos that have been safeguarded in a sanctuary outside Bela-Bela since May 2017, died within the span of three weeks in April this year.

- Barry Viljoen

The rhinos are endangered species under the International Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and were relocated to the place of safety after some of the rhinos in the local game reserve were killed by poachers.

The municipality still spends more than R60 000 per month, excluding additional veterinary costs, for the safeguarding of this endangered species on the private game farm and the numerous requests from the DA that the animals should be sold or brought back to the local game reserve have fallen on deaf ears - despite the expenditure.