A wildlife organisation warned on Wednesday that rhino poachers were now reverting to poison to kill the animals.
Wildlife Ranching SA operational manager Reinhardt Holtzhausen said 14 cabbage halves sprinkled with poison were found on a game farm in Mookgophong (Naboomspruit) over the weekend.
He said he had came across the heap by chance while driving through the game farm with his friend.
“The rhinos were literally 100m from the spot where we found the heap of cabbages. Luckily we could remove all of them before any damage was done.”
He said the cabbages were placed in the vicinity of rhino middens.
Holtzhausen said rhinos visited their dung piles often, and then ate whatever food had been planted there.
“These are clever people; they obviously know the rhinos’ habits,” said Holtzhausen.
Seven cabbages were cut in half and sprinkled with blue crystals, smaller than the size of ground pepper corns.
Holtzhausen said he suspected the poison was either curaterr or albicarap and had been sent to the police for forensic tests.
“We are waiting for the results,” he said.
Last week, a group of people, including two veterinarians and a game farmer, appeared in the Musina Magistrate’s Court for allegedly being part of a rhino poaching syndicate.
More than 200 rhinos have already been killed by poachers this year, compared to 122 in 2009. – Sapa