In South Africa, a private army is fighting rhino poachers
MARKEN, South Africa — There was a time when hunters paid good money to hunt animals like antelope and buffalo at Simon Rood’s wild-game reserve. But on a recent day, Rood watched as one of his staff stared into a tangle of dried-out trees and waited to load his rifle during a training exercise. The quarry was something different.
“What do we eradicate?” Rood barked.
“Poachers!” shouted his employee.
Poaching has taken a devastating toll on iconic African wildlife, like the rhinoceros. In the early 20th century, there were about half a million rhinos in the wild internationally; today, there are less than 30,000 across Asia and Africa. The vast majority live in South Africa.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/africa/in-south-africa-a-private-army-is-fighting-rhino-poachers/2016/10/27/21094364-909c-11e6-bc00-1a9756d4111b_story.html?wpisrc=nl_rainbow&wpmm=1
