Staff and management at the Inverdoorn Private Game Reserve in the Western Cape have been traumatised by the massacre of four rhinos, including a pregnant female and one with a worthless fibreglass horn.
The horrific incident happened late on Wednesday evening when the reserve's 24-hour anti-poaching found four rhinos that had been shot and raised the alarm.
Johan van Schalkwyk, the group marketing manager for the Aquila Collection, which owns the reserve, says it's been a decade since they suffered such a tragedy at one of their reserves.
He says a fifth rhino was missing and tracking operations were immediately activated and she was found alive but had been shot in the face.
Van Schalkwyk says the crime scene is still active and it is alleged that "large calibre rifle rounds from silenced weapons were identified on the scene."
The owner of the Aquila Collection, Searl Derman, who also owns Aquila Private Game Reserve, said that he's horrified to relive this nightmare.
"As with our previous poaching incident at Aquila Private Game Reserve in 2011, we will again commit to sparing no expense or effort in the pursuit to catch and bring justice to these vicious perpetrators who massacred our rhino."
A reward of R100 000 has been offered for information that could lead to the arrest and successful prosecution of the poachers.
A private investigation has also been launched.
