Rhino Poaching In South Africa Species Stock Video Footage

At an average of one rhino per day, poaching in South Africa continues to threaten the future of the species. Rhino horn is valued in Asian markets for supposed medicinal qualities, and even as a report was released this past week confirming the continued slaughter of rhinos by poachers, cinematographer Rainer Schimpf, based in South Africa, has sent word that two more rhinos have just been poached today at Shamwari Game Reserve.

Typically a poached rhino is killed before the horn is harvested, or left to die a slow and painful death. Rainer Schimpf has
captured remarkable footage of a rhino that survived it’s encounter with poachers. While the footage is very graphic, it provides a remarkable glimpse into the reality of poaching, as game wardens examine the severely wounded animal and watch it stumble to it’s feet. View the sequence of High Definition video clips documenting this important issue at NatureFootage, or by clicking the image below.

The International Union for the Conversation of Nature (UCN) has declared the West African Black Rhino subspecies extinct as of 2011.