THE continued culling of white rhinos in the Dwesa Nature Reserve on the Wild Coast has been met with outrage.

Three of the six targeted animals were shot earlier this month, sparking an outcry.

Now two more have been shot and one is “roaming the reserve with a wound in its neck”, SPCA inspector Vonny Strachan said.

“We are gravely concerned about the welfare of this animal. These animals should have been relocated rather than killed.

Expert knowledge could easily have been sought for advice on capture. Non-lethal control must remain the course of action for the reserve in respect of the remaining rhino,” said Strachan.

In terms of the Eastern Cape Parks Board plan to remove alien species from its 21 nature reserve, animals are being captured and relocated. But it was decided to hunt the rhino in the Dwesa Reserve because they were in forest terrain and capture was not an option, the board said.

Hunting permits were issued by the provincial environment department to shoot six of Dwesa‘s 11 white rhino.

The DA questioned the decision to hunt commercially the animals, which had been described as “tame as wild rhinos can be”.

DA spokesman John Cupido said the board had a mandate to conserve the province‘s wildlife heritage, “not to condone the slaughter of these animals for profit”.

“Commercial hunting should under no circumstances be allowed in our reserves.”

Cupido said he had tabled questions for the written reply of the Eastern Cape Economic Affairs, Environment and Tourism MEC, asking whether the Dwesa cull was put out to tender and what the basis was for awarding it to African Scent Safari. He had also asked how much the board was paid.

He said a “green hunt” would have been an acceptable alternative. This is when a hunter tracks the animal and darts it for relocation instead of killing it.

“The tourist leaves, having had the experience of a hunt in Africa, lots of trophy photographs and the rhino is safely moved elsewhere.

The decision to have the Dwesa rhino hunted was taken because they were in deep forest,” Eastern Cape Parks Board scientific services chief Dr Dave Balfour said.

The parks board could not be reached for comment yesterday but it is understood that the method for removing the remaining six animals is being re-considered, with further consultation set to take place with capture experts. – Sapa