The white rhino, put out on tender to be hunted, has already been killed.

That’s if speculation from Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife insiders is to be believed. The hunt, they say, allegedly by a foreigner who had a local businessman fronting for him, took place last week. Activists believe the endangered animal was shot on Wednesday at the Mkhuze Game Reserve in Northern KwaZulu-Natal.

Ezemvelo chief executive officer Dr Bandile Mkhize continued to defend the decision, saying that correct procedures were followed and that the hunt was in accordance with the organisation’s conservation strategy.

He said a decision had been taken to put the hunt out to tender, rather than relocate the animal as there was no guarantee that it would not be poached.

The official statement from Ezemvelo is that the rhino is still alive and a hunt date is yet to be confirmed.

Mkhize said the thinking was that if anyone had to benefit from the rhino, it should be the poor, rural communities, rather than poachers.

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