The photograph, taken by 20-year-old student Neville Kgaugelo Ngomane, shows the radical lengths that are now being taken to protect vulnerable rhinos from the poachers who hunt them down for their horns.
Though it seems cruel, this is now a standard practice in some parts of Africa to keep rhinos alive. Robbed of the horns that fetch high prices in illegal trade, the rhinos will be left alone.
Neville Kgaugelo Ngomane's winning photo. A rhino being dehorned in an attempt to protect it from being poached
Neville Kgaugelo Ngomane
The dramatic photo won Ngomane the Young Environmental Photographer of the Year Award in the International Chartered Institute of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM) photography competition in September.
Out of more than 4,000 entries for the competition, Ngomane's titled "Desperate Measures" was picked by judges alongside thirteen others as winners for the competition.
Ngomane, born in Mpumalanga, in eastern South Africa, said the rhino dehorning was "not easy to watch," but he hopes the graphic image will contribute to the preservation of these powerful beasts.
"I wanted to use the photo to show people that they should stop poaching, to be aware of its dangers," he says. "And I became so excited when I heard that I had won. To be picked among more than 4000 entries, it is a big deal."
Poaching is a serious business in South Africa. In 2018, there were a total of 1,873 poaching incidents in different parks across the country, according to a report from South Africa's Department of Environment Affairs.
As a child, Ngomane spent a lot of his time watching documentaries about wildlife conservation.
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