[imagesource: Pilanesberg National Park / Christopher Clark]

I’ve been fortunate enough to be involved in a rhino dehorning operation before, and the amount of moving parts that must come together makes it an intense, and expensive, exercise.

Sadly, dehorning is becoming increasingly vital in the fight against rhino poaching, with our national lockdown only increasing the desperate measures that those who shoot and kill these animals will go through.

Not only that, but a dearth of visitors means that many of these reserves are operating on shoestring budgets.

On a more positive note, Pilanesberg National Park in the North West province was fortunate enough to raise the funds needed to launch the biggest rhino dehorning operation in the world, with two expert teams taking on the mammoth task of dehorning hundreds of rhinos in just nine days.

Carte Blanche’s Derek Watts went along for the ride, joining the teams in the race against time to save one of the region’s most beloved animals:

[source:carteblanche]