South Africa: Soldiers at War Against Poachers | Full Documentary

 Protecting Rhinos in South Africa

Every day, four rhinos fall victim to poachers, causing emotional distress to those who try to protect them. South Africa is home to an incredibly rich biodiversity, which attracts many visitors to its natural parks and reserves. However, the rhinoceros and its horn are highly sought-after, and at the current poaching rate, this animal, which has lived on earth for 40 million years, could become extinct in the next decade.

Pitrack was founded in 2007 by Carl Thornton and Drew Abrahamson, a group of 40 conservation soldiers who are ex-military, former bodyguards, mechanics, and musicians. In addition to the famous Kruger Park, the government is not responsible for nature conservation, so Pitrack is one of the 600 private militias that guard the hundreds of nature reserves and private parks.

Carl and Drew finance almost all of their work themselves, except for a few patrons who help them.Their command base in Gauteng is the largest private reserve in South Africa, with 7,000 animals, including a significant number of rhinos. Poaching is organized crime, and poachers are ready to defend themselves, making anti-poaching operations as dangerous as going to war.

One kilogram of rhino horn is sold for 60,000 euros, twice the price of gold and cocaine. At this price, organized crime is ready to fight by any means. Despite the danger, the Pitrack team is well-equipped, but participating in these operations is emotionally taxing.

Many small farmers rely on bushwood to supplement their income, so it is an essential resource for them. When green cops catch poachers, they have to let them go and call the police because they do not have the authority to arrest them. This process is cumbersome and costly.

Lion Farming in South Africa

Groundbreaking investigations have revealed the prevalence of lion farming in South Africa, where around 200 lions are raised and killed for their hides and bones. While the operation is legal in the country, there are several illegal loopholes, such as using cages that are too small and insufficient veterinary checkers. Lion farming is a lucrative business in the country, with traffickers catering to the Chinese market's demand for tiger wine.

Investigation Discovery

Naturalists Carl and Drew investigate a suspicious building in the savannah and come across a lion farm. The two find dozens of lions raised on the farm in cramped conditions and horrifyingly abused. The animals are destroyed and boiled, with their remains sold in Asian markets. The couple is heartbroken at the sight and calls upon the police to shut down the operation. However, before they can accomplish that, more lions will be slaughtered to fulfill the increasing demand for wild animals' parts.

Green Cops to the Rescue

The Green Cops, a team of ex-military personnel with a passion for animal conservation, set out to capture suspected poachers. The team trains dogs to follow human tracks and traces poachers who leave the reserves' boundaries. While operating without warrants, they are entitled to search neighboring homes. However, the chances of finding poachers are slim, and time is running out. Nevertheless, the Green Cops persist, deterring poachers and preserving animal lives.

Protecting African Wildlife

Carl and his team have discovered that impala carcasses were poached two days ago. Despite their efforts, these conservation soldiers cannot fully protect the incredible wildlife in sanctuaries. Jack Crunge, a former bodyguard, joined Carl's team 12 years ago. He finds meaning in his job, even if it comes with risks. Not only do poachers pose a threat, but animals could also harm them while they're in their territory. Even a wrong move in a bush park could be fatal.

Carl and his team are saddened by the impala's death, but they were able to prevent the intruder from killing more animals. They eventually found the poachers and are pursuing an investigation. Sadly, their first victim was a five-year-old male rhinoceros, and the second rhinoceros, a fourteen-year-old female expected to give birth, was also shot. Twelve out of the twenty-four people on the ground failed the polygraph tests for direct involvement in the poaching. This matter is still under investigation.

Saving Rhinos

Carl and his team work on maintaining and protecting a unique sanctuary, an orphanage for baby rhinos for protection. The sanctuary, based in Kruger National Park in South Africa, cares for animals orphaned due to poaching. They are fed and looked after by the staff and eventually released into the wild once they can survive on their own. The team works 24/7, as poaching often occurs early in the morning. The orphanage has been home to many animals, including rhinoceroses that were cared for for two weeks under anesthesia.

Petronella Newwood was even attacked while trying to protect her baby rhinos from poachers trying to hack off their horns. The orphanage offers a temporary home for these animals before they're released back into the wild.

The Rhino Orphanage

The orphanage is sustained by private funding but also thanks to many volunteers. Many are tourists from all over the world who are willing to pay a hefty price for their stay there.

The eyesight of the rhinos is not perfect, they are smelly and the hearing is very good, but the eyesight is very important for finding babies quickly. Because of a canine unit and the abilities of a dog to find a little one quickly in the felt after a poaching incident, it can help bring costs down on helicopters and flying hours on time in the field.

The plan is to preserve a species, so I am very excited to see what the two will do to each other after a transition period in this enclosure. The young rhino is at 70 kilos and seems to be doing much better. The plan is to release the young rhinoceros one day with a group of other animals that they are not scared of the dog handlers that need to protect them – that is the plan to preserve the plan.

There is no medical proof that rhino horn is beneficial for many different things – I think it will help for all sorts of ailments, but if you think about it, that's just a belief. The person that purchases it to us doesn't understand the emotional side of the medical in the medical.

As winter approaches, Petronella and the volunteers prepare by rounding up the rhinos who have become a little too close to humans to feed by themselves. Rhinos are accompanied by bodyguards for protection, so this is like immediate asset protection, this would be like bodyguarding or runners. The rhinos naturally form their own crashes so we've got several crashes on these properties.

I can only pray that the end battle is won and that we have runners for the future. I think it's the dire situation that they are in and being such a great lander before has really given me the inspiration to want to help the species – to help them stop from going extinct, and to give them what they deserve which is the right to life and to stop them from going out of life. That won't work, so how can it lead to break up communities? That doesn't make sense at all at all.

I've got guys that perform an all-around protection area for outside observation the fence lines and take control of the high ground and then in case they miss something protein. I'm not to worry. I'm not to be afraid. I don't want to kill it. I want to protect it. The high ground and then to protect the rhinoceroses are not safe and the war is not safe. It's not my favorite animal.