Tourists in South Africa’s Kruger national park, last week filmed grisly footage of a white rhino that has had its horn hacked off.

 

The injuries are believed to have been inflicted by poachers hunting for lucrative ivory.

 

The YouTube clip, filmed on 28 February, shows the rhino stopping on the road in front of the tourists’ vehicle, appearing to be disoriented and unsteady, before wandering off into the long grass. Its horn has gone, leaving a bloody mess on its nose, and one eye appears to be badly injured.

 

The tourists can be heard snapping photographs, saying “that’s extraordinary” and asking “is that recent, or is that old?”. The clip finishes with a radio message that sounds as if someone is reporting the sighting.

 

After searching for five days with helicopters and sniffer dogs, park rangers found the rhino alive – but in a bad condition – some distance from where it was first seen.

 

“An assessment was conducted to determine the extent of the injuries and suffering. It was discovered that a bullet had lodged in the rhino’s brain and therefore any chance of survival was slim,” SANParks acting head of communications, Reynold Thakhuli, told News24.

 

The bullet was affecting the rhino’s eye, and rangers took a decision to put the animal down after deciding there was no chance of its survival.

 

Thakhuli said the rhino’s horn could have been hacked off days earlier and the fact that it was young had kept it alive.

 

The bullet has been sent for ballistic testing to determine what type of rifle was used.