Blood coated the African Savannah as the officers ran to the newest victim. The moon illuminated the disaster around them, pulling them into a horrific perspective. One officer sunk to his knees, gripping the gun with solid fury.
They had been tracking these men for months now. They had been recovering daytime camps that were abandoned and wrecked. The remains of worn away footprints, trails, camp supplies, tent stake holes, and camp fire pit left no trace of their next destination. They wasted days finding the next carcass.
These only happened at night, the killings. The men knew they wouldn’t be spotted as easily. The officers looked at the dead rhino in front of them, the bulk of it limp under the stars. The leader looked at the gaping bleeding hole of the missing horn.
Blood oozed from the many scratches and other wounds pooled at their feet. One officer started wiping his forehead in anguish, looking away for a moment. They went and cataloged the death in their jeep, not talking, not acknowledging each other and left the poor creature to the elements. There was nothing they could do for it now.
Days and nights passed. They hadn’t had a single lead. Finally, a gun cried out in the night. They hurried watching the poachers run in all different directions from their victim. The officers slammed their car doors as they got out quickly.
Tackling each man to the ground wasn’t hard for the trained officers. Soon, armed guards with blank faces detained all the poachers. The captured men were led to another jeep, the lights cutting through the shadows.
As they were taken out of the premises, the officers turned to the rhino laid on its side. Its labored breaths saddened them. One man reached out and petted the rough skin to help calm the beast, luring it into its final breaths.
“Slaap, broer, slaap.” He whispered, “Dit alles nou verby.” He looked over at the others, who nodded in agreement, taking off their hats in unison of respect. They left the dying rhino and headed back to the jeep.
Their heads hung in defeat but their hearts still pounded painfully with revenge. Each kill was adding to their will to fight, their will to take down illegal poaching. They had the sting under their skin to remind them of how much it hurt to see another animal down and suffering. They had 4,800 rhinos to save.
Sleep, brother, sleep, it’s all over now.