GUY ROGERS
A pregnant rhino cow has been shot dead and dehorned by poachers on a game reserve near Alexandria. The incident comes as a gruesome reminder of the rhino poaching scourge, which has been relatively quiet in the Eastern Cape in the past six months but continues to threaten the survival of the species.
Melt Heyneke, speaking on Tuesday on behalf of Buwiri (Bushmans Wildlife Reserve), said the carcass of the white rhino had been discovered in the reserve on Sunday.
“It was a great shock,” he said. “We have been here a while and have not had such an experience until now, so it was very upsetting and not something we were expecting.”
Buwiri comprises two sections of 2,000ha and the rhino had been well within one of those sections and not near any boundary.
“She was pregnant and we were expecting her to calve between December and April, so it was very emotional to see her like that.
“She was shot and dehorned.”
Heyneke said his team were hoping to gradually grow the Buwiri operation.
“There are so many positives coming out from what we are doing, and being part of the Bushman’s River Biodiversity Corridor, so we won’t let this discourage us and we will press on.”
The aim of the corridor is to link the Great Fish River Nature Reserve through Kariega, Lalibela and Shamwari private game reserves and eventually the Addo Elephant National Park as well.
Wildlife vet and prominent Eastern Cape-based rhino anti-poaching campaigner Dr Will Fowlds said the Buwiri incident was disturbing.
“Poaching had quietened down somewhat, so this incident is a gruesome reminder that the killing has not stopped.
“The only thing we can do is to maintain pressure from the law enforcement side and at the same time continue to support all the rhino awareness and conservation projects.”
Eastern Cape Integrated Wildlife Zone chair Mornay Viljoen said the Buwiri rhino poaching incident was the second in the Eastern Cape in 2025, with the first having taken place in the Great Fish River Nature Reserve earlier in the year.
“We call on people to be vigilant and if they see suspicious individuals being dropped off or picked up in remote areas, or any other unexplained activity, to please report it to their nearest police station.”
According to a March 2025 report from the department of forestry, fisheries and the environment, no rhinos were poached in the Eastern Cape in 2022, 17 in 2023 and four in 2024.The figures are contained in an August report by the Africa and Asian rhino specialist groups, the international wildlife trade monitoring group Traffic and the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Fowlds said the latest rhino poaching and population figures from the African rhino specialist group were key.
“The report shows black rhino numbers have risen slightly, so that’s good news.
“But the same report shows that white rhino numbers have declined, and that is very important and very worrying.”
According to a Traffic summary of the report, poaching accounted for the loss of just 2.15% of Africa’s total rhino population in 2024, the lowest rate recorded since 2011.
“But despite that progress, Africa’s overall rhino population declined by 6.7%, down to an estimated 22,540 animals.
“The decline was driven primarily by a sharp drop in white rhino numbers, which fell by more than 11%, down to their lowest numbers since 2007, due to a combination of factors, including increased poaching pressure, extended droughts and management limitations.
“In contrast, the population of critically endangered black rhinos grew by 5.2%.
“In early 2025, SA, home to most of the world’s rhinos, recorded a rise in poaching, with at least 91 rhinos killed in the first quarter alone, many in privately managed reserves.”
Eastern Cape-based ecologist Dr Dave Balfour, who is the chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission African rhino specialist group, said in the report that the recent dip in white rhino numbers was a stark reminder that conservation progress remained fragile.
“Lasting success depends not only on strong protection, but also on integrated management approaches which include and empower local people.
“Conservation efforts grounded in local stewardship, shared benefits and collaborative governance are essential to secure the future of Africa’s rhinos.” – The Herald
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This article was first published in Talk of the Town, October 9, 2025. The newspaper serving the communities of Ndlambe and the Sunshine Coast, with a weekly wrap of Makhanda news, is available at stores from early on Thursdays
