TOYOTA CONNECT
Left: Part of TSAM’s commitment to rhino conservation includes sponsoring extended service plans for the Land Cruisers used by the Pilanesberg National Park anti-poaching unit. Below: Dealer Principals, TSAM staff and media got to experience a day in the life of a parks ranger.
of vets jumped from the helicopter and vehicles, ready to spring into action as the beasts were felled. These raging mammals slowly turned into passive, gentle animals, falling to the ground. The fi rst order of business: putting
W
ith the helicopter blades whirring in the air around us, we thundered through the Pilanesberg National Park in convoy. The
overcast, moody skies seemed to set the perfect tone for the morning ahead. Rangers barked at each other over the radio, while the soft fi zzle of nervous chatter fi lled our Toyota Land Cruiser. Tracking down rhinos on a grey,
rainy day isn’t an easy task, especially when they’re prone to darting into the thick of the bush at the smallest sound.
cotton wool in the rhinos’ ears and blindfolding them, hopefully blocking out any loud sounds or bright light that could frighten them. After this, the work began… Anti-poaching teams in our national
The helicopter circled and the fi nal location was signalled to our vehicle. We’d found them. Stopping on the road, unsure of what
to expect, we suddenly saw the two rhinos we’d been looking for. As they ran from the noise of the chopper, a small white dart tipped with a red fl are of plastic zipped from above and into the hindquarters of the calf. As the mother panicked, a sense of dread rose in my throat: “We’re only doing this to keep them safe,” I had to remind myself. A second dart hit the rhino cow and as they began to slow their pace, a swarm
parks are, in essence, on the front line of a war involving subterfuge and dangerous ammunition. They fi ght tirelessly each day to keep our wildlife safe, with very little reward and even smaller budgets. Our foray into the Pilanesberg
National Park was by invitation of its specialist Rhino Protection Unit, which is working with teams from diff erent environmental organisations to save these majestic animals from a plague of poaching.
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