These heartbreaking images show a South African charity reserve where a rhinoceros is crying.
Poachers cut off the horn of the Southern White rhino, weighing in at 4,500 pounds, and removed some bone from his skull.
At the charity Saving the Survivor’s reserve, North West Province, South Africa, the male rhino can be seen laying on its back, looking in pain. There are dried tear marks running down one of its eyes.
The images clearly show the extent and severity of the rhino’s injuries. The rhino’s skull is exposed behind a bloody hole where the poachers removed the horn.
The team of wildlife vets Saving the Survivors has the mission to rescue animals from poaching and other traumatizing incidents.
At the charity Saving the Survivor’s reserve, North West Province, South Africa, the male rhino can be seen laying on its back, looking in pain. There are dried tear marks running down one of its eyes.
Images clearly show the extent of the rhino’s injuries – the rhino’s skull is visible behind the bloodied hole in which the horn was taken by poachers
Photographer Simon Needham, 55, who pictured the rhino from just yards away, said: ‘I work with several wildlife charities in South Africa.
“When I heard about Saving the Survivors in the community, and after hearing their stories, I offered my time to photograph the rhino to promote their need for money.
Speaking about the male rhino, Simon explained: ‘Poachers butchered the rhino’s horns and removed parts of the bone in his skull as well.
“The game reserve owners left him for dead for two more weeks because he was not worth a bullet to put down, not without his ears.
‘The police saw him and called Saving The Survivors to assist him.
‘The owners gave him away to Saving the Survivors because he was not worth it to them. He was weak but had a strong will and determination to survive.
Poachers attacked the Southern White rhino, who weighed in at 4,500 lbs. They also removed parts of his skull bone.
The rhino was saved by the Saving the Survivors team of wildlife veterinarians. Their mission is not to allow animals to become victims to poaching or trauma.
Simon claimed that he spent time talking to the rhinoceros to make him feel at home and that he treated him with great care.
He stated that he spent about an hour with the rhino, most of which was spent making him comfortable with my presence.
“As you can see, he is still dealing with a lot of medical issues. Therefore, it is important to take great care when approaching him.
“I kept my distance, and at the nearest point was about eight metres from him.
South Africa is home to the majority of rhinos in the world, numbering more than 2,000. It has also been the country hardest hit by poaching criminals with more rhinos being killed each year between 2013-2017.
In South Africa, there were 394 poaching incidents in 2020. Although poaching numbers have decreased significantly in recent years but remain too high, they are still very high.
As the rhino eats at a charity reserve, North West Province in South Africa, he can be seen without his hair.
This positive, and welcome, decrease in rhino deaths does not mean that rhinos are now flourishing. A rhino is killed on average every 22 hours in the country for its horn.
Recent data show that rhino numbers, especially in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, are declining dramatically.
The ruthless poaching which has occurred over the past decade has made it impossible for Rhino populations to recover.
Simon said, “It’s devastating to see animals used in this way by humans for their profit.”
‘I was just trying to capture some clear, honest, and factual images of the poaching tragedy in Africa.
“It’s very sad that people still do this to animals today. This will continue until humans stop consuming rhino horn.
“The human population is putting a lot of pressure on the world’s wildlife population. The plight and protection of this intelligent, emotional, and sentient being must be highlighted.