At the end of April, poachers broke into the Imire Rhino and Wildlife Conservancy in Zimbabwe in search of rhinoceros horn—an incredibly valuable commodity on the international market. The poachers brutally shot and killed a tame 22-year-old black rhino male called Gomo and, with axe in tow, massacred its head and face and seized its horns. While the crime quickly made headlines on social media, those who live amongst Africa’s wildlife say a rhino is poached every quarter hour for Asia's black market, as rhino horn continues to sell there for more than diamonds or gold. As hunter-conservationists’ fight to protect rhinos continues, the Ivan Carter Wildlife Conservation Alliance (ICWCA) is hosting an online fundraiser for the conservancy to help provide for enhanced security measures with a goal of raising $100,000.
Gomo's poaching ended the Imire Rhino and Wildlife Conservancy's near 20-year run of operating without a poaching incident. Ivan Carter, managing director of ICWCA, shared that Gomo was a trusting dominant rhino bull that had sired six black rhinos at Imire and was an icon for the species. “We were hopeful that his powerful presence would be felt across the Southern African landscape for many years to come,” Carter said. “cut down for his horn—his legacy tragically halted—we mourn his loss. … Please join us in this fight.” (#justiceforgomo) Noting how Gomo means “mountain” in the Shona language, Carter pledged that conservationists would continue to climb the huge mountain of greed and corruption in the bull’s honor as poaching and the illegal trade in rhino horn remain the biggest threats to the species’ survival.
According to the ICWCA fundraising appeal, the poachers accomplished their mission despite the facility’s anti-poaching rangers and K-9 detection unit, highlighting the need for immediate security upgrades. Ensuring the future of the conservancy’s remaining rhino population and new calves begins with adding even more layers of protection, including:
- Equipping the facility’s fencing with enhanced security camera technology and sensors;
- Replacing decaying wooden poles with steel fencing poles;
- Increasing the number of electrical strands on the boundary fence;
- Adding more drones for the Drone Unit and training more rangers as drone pilots; and
- Increasing the number of firearms available to anti-poaching rangers in the field.
The fundraiser hopes to help achieve some of these goals. For more on this, check out the full story over on NRA's Hunter's Leadership Forum.
