7

I am beginning to get a better understanding of the difficult job his team face, it seems almost impossible to effectively penalise anyone who is caught as they commonly get a warning or a 150 rand (£12) fine from the local police, not a major deterrent. If they have enough evidence, which is difficult, to go to court it is such a protracted event they are kept away from their jobs for many days, when twenty men have to cover 350 thousand hectares you can understand why it quickly becomes counter productive. I have learnt a great many things already just talking with Wouter. He says that the poachers are highly organised and trained professionals and, within the top ranks at least, 90% white. The removal of the Rhino horn, which is now commonplace and serves to deter the poachers, often does not stop the animal being killed, and as no other part of the animal is used this pointless killing becomes an act of spite.

The weapons used to poach range from simple (but indiscriminately lethal) snares, crossbows, large calibre rifles and adapted tranquiliser dart guns which are particularly problematic as they are nearly silent. The majority of the firearms are traced back to the police and it is believed that this is the main source of illegal weapons trading, this cooperation between poachers and corrupt police explains the frequent ‘warnings’ and very low fines that arrested poachers face.

The price of buying a young rhino has also become lower and it is now financially viable to buy a rhino simply to harvest and sell its horn. This worrying new development serves only to bolster this highly destructive trade.

In a recent news story that looked at a group of poachers who were arrested they included a policeman a pilot and two veterinarian doctors, showing how this is not the activity of poor men but of respectable and wealthy men. The risk of actually tracking and shooting the animal is undertaken by the poor men, and as even a fraction of the profit can temp the very poor Wouter explained “as soon as one guy is caught, ten more are ready to take his place”. He went on to explain the importance of tackling the problem in the higher levels of the criminal organisation.

So I am writing now early in the morning with Wouters puppy enjoying the warmth of my lap resting his head in the crook of my arm as I type. Wouter has been called away to a nearby town where he is attending a meeting that will decide the outcome of a recent court case he is involved in. As I have now come to understand my arrival has come at a difficult time for him, the case involves a poacher who was caught and detained by Wouter and his team recently. This guy was known to Wouter as the son of the local chief, and as such Wouter released him in the interest of good relations. After three weeks this man has taken Wouter to court claiming he was badly beaten. A doctors examination that was dated 20 days after his capture says that blood splatters were found on his clothes, “a long time to go without changing your shirt” laughs Wouter, he denies this accusation quite clearly, remaining unperturbed about it all and says the likely outcome will either mean he will be moved to work in another location or he will loose his job, he thinks he will look overseas for work if the outcome is bad. “This is what happens if you do your job too well” he says smiling.

So I am feeling quite awkward now and declined his offer to go into town with him, a polite offer but I am sure he has enough on his mind without chauffeuring a visitor around.

As his house is in the middle of the park with no exterior gate he was eager to point out the dangers of leaving the house at night, I asked him this morning if I could walk around in the day, he smiled and pointed out of the kitchen window to bring my attention to a tree a few feet away from us, he told me how he once woke up to the sight of a large male lion sitting under this tree. “when you have lived here a long time it is tempting to go for a walk, but I like to remember that lion”
I am staying in until Wouter returns.



I don’t think I am going to be able to shoot much of a project here for the following reasons. The men are spread out and rarely see each other in person and communicate via radio, so I am really just here with Wouter. Wouter said the CEO of the park regularly turns down offers from journalists to come and do stories on the rhino because of the attention it might bring to the park. Wouter and his men have done a very good job here and the rhino numbers are high, he explained how the population density of the rhino is among the highest in South Africa and this is a fact they wish to keep quiet and stories about this park may attract unwanted attention.

The weather is grey and cold and the rain has almost been non stop meaning the Sands river that crosses the main route into the park is currently impassable, we checked the height yesterday evening and just made it across, this morning after a night of rainfall a border guard arrived to ask for some food for the day as he was trapped this side with on way across the now swollen river. This makes a portion of the park unavailable to us for the time being. Wouter and his team are reluctant to be identified themselves for security reasons, this reluctance undoubtedly has been worsened by the current court case, Also Wouter is only able to accommodate me for a three days as he is away on Wednesday making the kind of intimate images I would like to shoot difficult as we don’t have the time to build up the trust needed to make such work possible.

I am very glad to be here however and find the things I am learning fascinating. Hopefully, if the weather improves in time, I can get some images of the wildlife and environment that will inform and support a written story.



Wouter is being very open and helpful with information however and is providing me with maps and newspaper clipping that contain all the relevant info. I am positive I can put together a good story but getting images to go with them will be tough. I am keen to see some rhino for this reason and Wouter is confident this will be possible. It seems clear that what I pre visualised is not going to be possible but I will keep my eyes open maybe another story will present itself.