The carcasses of two rhinos were found in the Loskop Nature Reserve last week and an act of poaching is suspected. By the time game rangers stumbled upon the two carcasses, they were already decomposed, leading conservationists to believe that they were killed quite a long time ago. Brigadier Leonard Hlathi told\u00a0www.mobserver.co.za<\/b>, that they are currently following leads and no arrests have been made.<\/p>\n
Last week Monday, a passer-by came across an ensnared male leopard on a farm in the Doornkop area. The passer-by reported his findings to a store owner in the area, after which Dr Nolan Landman from the Witbank Veterinary Hospital was called. Dr Landman, along with the help of Mr Deon Cornelius from Ubhetyan, tranquilised the leopard and rushed it to the animal clinic, unfortunately the leopard died on route.<\/p>\n
Also read: Mozambican nationals involved in rhino poaching<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Mr Cornelius told\u00a0www.mobserver.co.za<\/b>\u00a0that after doing a thorough patrol of the area, he removed numerous snares from the bush. Mr Cornelius spoke of how snares are a common threat to animals and with a shortage of manpower in conservation teams, the clearing of snares remains an impossible mission.<\/p>\n A dead pangolin<\/a> was found in the trunk of a car during an operation by the SAPS Endangered Species Unit. The vehicle was intercepted by the unit at the Ultra City on the N4 highway and three suspects were arrested. The suspects informed the unit that the pangolin<\/a> was alive when they loaded it into their boot. The suspects were allegedly smuggling the pangolin from the Lowveld and were headed to Gauteng.<\/p>\n Also read: Poachers killed in shootout with police<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n According to Amy Attenborough<\/a>, a conservationist at Londolozi Game Reserve<\/a>, pangolins<\/a> are one of the most smuggled animals of all the mammals. There are 8 different species in the world, four can be found in Asia and four in Africa.<\/p>\n