PETER CHADWICK - African Conservation Photography

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Horns of Pain - Horns of Sorrow 25 images Created 22 Jul 2019

Africa’s iconic wildlife is facing an unprecedented onslaught of carnage by well-organized global criminal networks. Amongst an endless list of illegal trade, rhino horn has become far more valuable on the black market than gold. A wide range of actions are being undertaken to reduce the risk and impacts of this wildlife crime.

At the frontline of this conservation war are the rangers that have to do battle with the poachers and the corrupt and regular shootouts are leaving a swath of wounded and dead on both sides. Many of these rangers are poorly trained and equipped and have to work under extreme conditions with minimal support. Rising incidents of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), acute stress disorder and burnout fatigue are just some of the effects rangers have to endure as a result of this on-going fight against the poachers and the corrupt.

For these rangers, their greatest fear is not that they might be wounded or killed themselves, but rather they worry about what the future holds for their families if they themselves were wounded or killed. In Africa, at least 57 rangers have lost their lives over the last 12 months. This then leaves destitution and trauma for the ranger’s families as in most cases the rangers are the only breadwinners for their large and extended families.
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  • A white rhino bull clearly shows his magnificent horn. It is these horns that have become the target for syndicated criminals over the last decade with over 8000 rhino having been slaughtered for the horns. Gram for gram, these horns are more valuable than gold on the black market
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  • A white rhino calf stands close to her protective mother. As a result of the rampant poaching of rhino for their horn, the tipping point has now been reached where more rhino are being killed than are being born per year.
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  • White-backed vultures gorge on the carcass of a poached white rhino bull. In order to avoid detection, poachers sometimes lace the animals that they have killed with poison in order to kill the vultures. These vultures aid ranger patrols in finding the carcasses of poached animals. This year alone over 700 vultures have been poisoned and this is also pushing these critically important and wide-ranging scavengers towards extinction.
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  • White rhino skulls killed by poachers lie covered in dust at a ranger’s outpost. These skulls are needed as evidence in judicial proceedings but also are displayed as a harsh reminder of the costs of this genocide that is being waged against the world’s rhino.
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  • Rangers are critical and key to protecting not only the rhino against organized wildlife criminals but also in holding the overall area integrity of a conservation area. Often these rangers are poorly supported, trained and equipped and yet are expected to give their lives if needed to protect the rhino.
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  • In recent years, greater support is rightfully being given to the ranger teams that are at the conservation frontline battling against poaching gangs. Most now undergo rigorous training regimes that begin with a tough selection course. This is followed by in-depth theoretical sessions so that they fully understand the environment that they will be working in.
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  • Good discipline is paramount for rangers where they will be expected to make the right and legal decisions in a split second when they encounter well-armed poaching gangs that are targeting the rhino on protected areas.
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  • Although rangers in Africa have always had to work with weapons as a part of their duties, the recent escalation of wildlife crime has meant that military type tactics and training has become a standard operating procedure. Extensive weapons drills are repeatedly fine-tuned so that the rangers can protect themselves and their team members during contact with poaching gangs
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  • Apart from effective military-type skills, the rangers have to have highly tuned bush skills that can allow them to operate in a rugged and dangerous terrain where they will often be far from support and have limited communications. In many ways, the skills required of a ranger are akin to those of a special forces soldier and these rangers are experts in their operating environment
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  • Dogs have become an absolute game changer in the battle against rhino poaching with them being able to assist in detection work around persons, vehicles or buildings. Most importantly, they speed up tracking and follow up operations immensely and this has led to an increased arrest rate of poachers.
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  • Ranger teams often have to operate into the darkness to counter poaching threats where they continually face numerous threats that includes possible encounters with dangerous animals, such as lion, buffalo and elephant. Fine-tuned teamwork with excellent leadership is absolutely paramount in ensuring the overall safety of these teams.
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  • A suspected rhino poacher lies facedown and handcuffed after a successful intelligence-led operation to apprehend the poaching gang.
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  • A suspected rhino poacher sits handcuffed on the back of a vehicle in readiness to be transported to the nearest police station where he will be charged in accordance to the law.
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  • A powerful hunting rifle that was recovered during a contact with poachers lies on the ground and is marked by a police cone. Careful evidence collection is required at each incident to be used in criminal proceedings against the poachers.
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  • As one of a suite of deterrents against rhino poaching in South Africa, many protected areas have taken to dehorning their rhinos. This is an extremely costly effort with the rhino in most cases having to be darted from a helicopter.
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  • A white rhino bull stands partially sedated with his eyes covered and his ears blocked to reduce external stimuli at the start of a dehorning exercise.
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  • A young white rhino lies partially sedated with eyes covered while its mother that is lying nearby, has her horns removed by a veterinarian. Young calves are immobilized at the same time as their mothers to prevent separation of the pair and to reduce stress. Where the calf is old enough, its horn stumps too will be removed.
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  • A conservation manager checks on the breathing rate of a partially sedated white rhino. Sedating a rhino for dehorning does carry inherent risks and animals are carefully monitored throughout the operation. Given the threat of poaching, dehorning is still considered viable and managers and vets would rather dehorn hundreds of rhino than have to undertake an autopsy on a single poached animal.
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  • A successfully dehorned white rhino.  The horn stumps are treated against infection. Dehorning is sadly only a temporary measure against poaching. Horns do grow back and it takes between 18 and 24 months before the animal needs to go through the same procedure again.
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  • All horns that are cut off a rhino during dehorning are carefully catalogued and micro-chipped and are then removed from the protected area to be stored at an off-site security facility.
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  • Horns from numerous dehorned white rhino are packed out on the floor in preparation for cataloging and removal to an off-site security facility.
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  • Rhino poaching is also leaving a swathe of orphaned calves behind. These calves are extremely traumatized and require continual care at specialized facilities. Poachers tried to hack the horn stub of this calf off while he stood next to his dead mother. They slashed his back and face with machetes.
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  • Apart from dehorning, other conservation measures include the translocation of rhino to new areas where strong protection measures are in place. Here a black rhino awaits transportation from South Africa to Chad where a new founder population of rhino is to be set up under the protection of African Parks.
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  • A black rhino stands in its boma alongside its caretaker. Empathy and compassion are absolute requirements for us all to be able to overcome this terrible scourge of wildlife crime that is decimating the iconic animals of Africa, including its rhino.
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  • A white rhino bull stands silhouetted at sunset. We are at a crucial point in ensuring the long-term survival of rhino and many other species and a global effort must be undertaken at many different levels to halt wildlife crime.
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