A female rhino that has survived a brutal dehorning by poachers using a chainsaw four months earlier at the Tugela Private Game REserve, Colenso, Natal, South Africa, Nov. 9, 2010. 1st Prize Nature Stories - (Brent Stirton/Reportage Betty Images/National Geographic Magazine) - 2012 World Press Photo Contest Winners - The Big Picture - Boston.com
2012 World Press Photo Contest Winners - The Big Picture - Boston.com: By the numbers: 5, 247 Photographers, 124 Nationalities, 101, 254 pictures. Three hundred and fifty images by 57 photographers of 24 nationalities were awarded prizes in nine categories.
2012 World Press Photo Contest Winners
View the entire collection of winning images from the 55th World Press Photo Contest. The winners were selected from over 100,000 images submitted to the contest.
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Rhino Accidently Killed In Demo Aimed To Stop Poachers | Care2 Causes
A demonstration to show new anti-poaching techniques developed by an animal reserve in South Africa took a disastrous turn when the rhino used in the procedure accidently died.
The Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve in Pretoria, South Africa invited journalists and animal activists to watch the process where veterinarians inject the horn of a rhinoceros with a neon pink dye and an insecticide as well as a tracking device in order to stop poachers from killing the endangered animals.
The dye is similar to the one used by banks to mark money during robberies. The idea is to help law enforcement to identify rhino horns that may be sold on the black market. The insecticide is used to protect the animals against ticks.
Twenty rhinos have already undergone the procedure at the animal reserve without any problems.
Lorinda Hern, spokesperson for the reserve said the technique was developed to stop poachers from killing the endangered animals and taking their horns. Last year, a record 448 rhinos were poached in South Africa, so their horns could be used in traditional Chinese medicine.
The horns have become popular among middle-class Asians who believe they possess medical benefits.
Tests are underway to determine why the male rhino in his twenties died, but veterinarians think there were complications from either the sedative or the drug used to revive the animal.
Ms. Hern said, “It’s sad for us; it’s the loss of another animal. It’s a death that I still chalk up to poaching.”
Joseph Okori, a wildlife veterinarian and a World Wildlife Fund rhino expert was present for the demonstration. He said, “There is always a potention risk that a sedated animal will die.”
“The whole issue is, we are facing a serious rhino poaching crisis. This is a war. The desperation is quite high for rhino owners, to do whatever it takes to protect their rhinos,” said Okori.
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