Update
MOSSEL BAY NEWS - Rhino horns and pieces of rhino horn have been stolen from a locked safe at the prestigious Gondwana Game Reserve.
According to the KwaNonqaba police, the head of security at Gondwana Game Reserve, William Fereday, reported the total of 12 pieces of horn stolen from a safe in the manager's office in the administration complex.
Perpetrators managed to gain entry to the locked office and safe some time between 23:00 on Sunday, 11 March to 05:00 on Monday, 12 March.
The exact time of the theft is unknown, but cleaners who arrived for work at 05:00 on Monday, 12 March apparently reported a strong, foul smell emanating from the manager's office.
Thinking that the smell may be due to an electrical fault, they opened the cupboards and discovered a safe in one of the cupboards had been plundered.
According to reports, the smell, which was actually metallic, resulted from the use of a grinder that was used to break open the safe door.
The cleaners called on the security officers to investigate. The KwaNonqaba police were called to the scene to investigate the theft. It seems from early investigations that an outside door to the manager's office was forced open.
"The Gondwana team is quite shaken and is working closely with the SA Police to resolve the case," Gondwana director Mark Rutherfoord told the Mossel Bay Advertiser.
He said the horns "originated from rhino who died of natural causes on the reserve. In two instances, a rhino died after altercations with elephants."
Wo Geoffery Moos shows the identification notice that accompanied each and every one of the 12 pieces of rhino horn stolen from the Gondwana Game Reserve near Herbertsdale. Photo: Nickey le Roux
Properly documented
"There are permits for all horns, they are micro chipped, DNA sampled, photographed and officially marked by Cape Nature."
A representative of Cape Nature confirmed the horns were checked during an inspection in December last year.
As a result, it is unlikely that the horns will be traded in South Africa, where trade in rhino horn within the borders of the country is permitted since a Constitutional Court ruling in 2017.
No horns bought or sold can legally be exported. According to research rhino horns are often smuggled to Asia for use in traditional medicine.
Thieves were brazen enough to enter the Gondwana Game Reserve and make off with rhino horn worth approximately R1.3 million. Photo: Nickey le Roux
Grinder
It seems the perpetrators made their way into the office unnoticed. Once inside, they used a grinder to break open the safe. They removed the rhino horns and pieces, estimated to be worth approximately R1.3 million, and left again unnoticed.
"Thankfully no one was hurt in the incident," Rutherfoord said. "Gondwana has an impeccable security record, with no recorded penetration of perpetrators since its establishment, over the past 13 years. It was clear this was a direct, premeditated hit on the safe to remove the horns.
"Gondwana has an established security team comprising 24-hour access control, fingerprint gate access, 24-hour anti-poaching teams, a K9 dog unit and mobile security rangers. Any areas that the investigation exposes as a potential incursion site will be assessed and addressed."
The case is being investigated by Wo Geoffery Moos (079 894 1599 or 044 606 5600) of the KwaNonqaba Police Investigating Unit. Anyone with information is asked to contact him. All information will be dealt with in strict confidence.
Read a previous article: Rhino horn stolen from Game Lodge
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