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Poachers kill baby rhino and its mother in 'brazen' raid inside a famous game reserve

A rhino is sedated so that farm managers can remove its horn for its safety - Cornell Tukiri
A rhino is sedated so that farm managers can remove its horn for its safety - Cornell Tukiri

A baby rhino and its mother have been killed by poachers in a "brazen" pre-dawn raid in a famous South African game reserve.

Four armed poachers reportedly overwhelmed two guards in the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi reserve, then shot the mother rhino and her calf and took their horns.

A further 20 rhinos have recently been orphaned in a series of poaching incidents in the area, 170 miles north of Durban.

We are trying to ensure we save as many rhinos as we can

Musa Mntambo

Earlier this month, some nine rhinos were found killed in one day, in a gruesome new record in the 400sq mile park.

Musa Mntambo, communications manager for conservation agency KZN Wildlife, said: “It was a brazen attack and we are still shocked and we are trying to ensure we save as many rhinos as we can.

"We continue to appeal to the public to tell us if they have any suspicions about anyone they believe might be involved in this or other similar incidents.”

The Hluhluwe Imfolozi park  - Credit: Wild Life Tours Africa/Barcroft Media 
The Hluhluwe Imfolozi park Credit: Wild Life Tours Africa/Barcroft Media

He said after the gunmen fled with the horns, the two guards managed to untie themselves and broke a window at the nearby office to sound the alarm.

Mr Mntambo said there had been no arrests in connection with this incident.

Around 77 people have been arrested in the Kwa Zulu Natal province, home to the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi reserve, in connection with poaching so far this year.

Animals in danger | The world's most threatened species
Animals in danger | The world's most threatened species

South Africa is home to around 20,000 rhinos, some 80 per cent of the global population.

More than 1,000 rhinos were killed by poachers in South Africa last year.

There has been an surge in poaching incidents in the Kwa Zulu Natal province, which experts say may be connected to the recent security upgrade in South Africa's renowned Kruger National Park.