None of the animals from an embattled herd of white rhinos will be delivered to poaching accused Dawie Groenewald. Instead, all nine rhinos will now head for the farm of prominent rhino owner John Hume.
The change in plan came after a public outcry last week, after The Star disclosed the Limpopo Economic Development, Environment and Tourism Department had issued Groenewald a dozen permits to hunt white rhinos on his farm – despite facing a plethora of charges related to rhino poaching.
Groenewald was also in the process of buying nine rhinos with Hume: three bulls destined for his farm and six cows for Hume’s. But on Friday, an agreement was made that the entire herd would go to Hume.
“I look after my game, I treat my game with respect,” Groenewald insisted. “I hope everyone is happy now.”
But some conservationists are railing against the arrangement, questioning the motives of Hume, who owns the largest private collection of white rhinos in the country.
“This is not a solution to the benefit of the rhino,” said SanWild Wildlife Sanctuary founder trustee Louise Joubert.
“We are extremely concerned about the arrangement. It’s all highly questionable. What is the true modus operandi? What’s going on behind the scenes here? These questions need to be asked.”
There are also concerns that the animals will be hunted as trophies. But Hume, who is an ardent advocate for the legalisation of rhino horn trading, claimed there was no rhino hunting on his farm.
“I will buy every single rhino I can afford to buy,” he said. “Whatever rhino lives I can save, I do.”
Meanwhile, it has emerged that the same conservationist who exposed the Groenewald sale last week had sold him one of her own rhinos.
Selomie Maritz, the face of Eblockwatch’s anti-poaching initiative, has been looking after the herd for the past three months. She told The Star last week that they were safe with her, claiming they would be hunted as trophies if sold to Groenewald.
But Maritz sold a white rhino bull to the same man just two months ago. “Why didn’t she make a big deal out of that?” Groenewald asked.
Maritz claimed it was an attempt to get a behind-the-scenes understanding of how Groenewald and his co-accused operated, as part of a wider investigation that is to be made into a documentary.
“It wasn’t an easy decision,” she said. “I wasn’t happy about it and I’m concerned about the rhino, but yes, I did it.”
Maritz does not know if the bull is still alive.
And SanWild is furious with her for failing to disclose the transaction when she asked for their help to keep the contested herd away from Groenewald.
“It’s been a bitter disappointment to learn of the deal,” Joubert said.
The organisation is now calling for a moratorium on all rhino hunting, until the poaching crisis has been properly investigated. - The Star