Armed patrols need be extremely vigilant during full moon periods

Aug 17, 2012 14:04 GMT  ·  By

Green-oriented organization Sea Shepherd recently decided to draw attention to one very important aspect of conservation projects aimed at safeguarding South Africa's rhino population.

Thus, the environmentalists explain how rhinos face significantly increased threats during full moon periods, primarily because the extra-light provided by the moon makes it much easier for poachers to find them and kill them in order to collect their horns.

Therefore, those in charge of keeping such things from happening must be even more vigilant than they usually are, seeing how poachers more often than not choose this period of the month to go about their business.

In order to help protect the rhinos during these very critical days, Sea Shepherd teamed up with South Africa's Strategic Protection of Threatened Species (SPOTS) and used state-of-the-art equipment in order to keep a close eye on these endangered animals.

Still, this did not discourage the poachers, and several gunshots were fired very close to the conservation team's camp.

As one conservationist explains, “Over the last few days three rhino have been horribly killed in the surrounding reserves. We are here to do whatever is needed to protect Africa’s natural treasures in this area.”

However, “Sea Shepherd’s support has been essential during this period. With poachers hunting so nearby, we need all the tools and human assets we can get to protect the rhino.”

Given the fact that rhinos have been brought very close to extinction as a result of illegal trading operations with their horns, it is a good thing that significant efforts are going into boosting their protection, especially during those periods of the month when they are at their most vulnerable.

Moreover, it seems that some people are quite enjoying themselves whilst tracking down poachers and safeguarding these animals.

As quoted by Sea Shepherd’s official website, Jake Weber, who used to serve the US Army, now explains how, “This is better than any volunteer experience I can imagine. Having a 7.62 FN rifle in one hand, a pair of night goggles in the other, driving at 2 AM on rough tracks that can barely support a vehicle and flying Unmanned Aerial Systems to prevent endangered animals from extinction is not the typical safari experience– this is the real salt-of-the-earth stuff.”