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Kruger National Park chief pilot David Simelane, nicknamed the Blackhawk, deems his mission in the wilderness to be a higher calling.
Simelane, who has a soft spot for honey badgers, is also part of a team that dehorns rhinos in a bid to curb poaching.
He recalled his first dehorning experience as being “heartbreaking”.
“It was during lockdown when we decided to intervene, and that was the beginning of the intense dehorning programme. There were mixed emotions, being in a position to align the helicopter to dart such a majestic animal and bear witness to the cutting of its horn to save the rhino species.”
It was then that he realised he was in the right place at the right time.
HAWK-EYED PILOT AND DEDICATED VETS
City Press joined the SA National Parks (SANParks) team for a dehorning mission in the Kruger.
After a few short minutes in the chopper, Simelane and veterinarian Dr Lufuno Netsitavhadulu spotted three rhinos – a calf and two adults.
Netsitavhadulu prepared his high-pressure tranquiliser gun while Simelane aligned the chopper for the vet to get the perfect shot.
It took just one shot for the rhino which was marked for dehorning to show signs of dizziness and eventually fall to the ground.
The chopper landed and the team began examining the rhino. Veterinary technician Zinhle Manda then began the important task of collecting its DNA samples for future identification.
The team made quick work of sawing off the rhino’s horn.
“There is more that still needs to be done internally, however, to be able to deter the poachers,” said Simelane.
Of the black market trade of rhino horns for its purpoted aphrodisiac properties, he said: “Sex is expensive.”
FULFILLING A CALLING
Simelane enjoyed his first helicopter ride when he was 19 years old, on a Robinson R22 helicopter, while working as a junior IT technician at an architectural firm in Pretoria.
“One of the directors had just received his private pilot license and asked me to accompany him for a ride. That was when the bug bit.”
He decided in that moment that he wanted to fly aircraft for the rest of his life.
“We then started the painstaking task of trying to find funding for training to become a helicopter pilot.”
READ: War on rhino poaching – a never-ending bloody battle
And this is where the Transport Education Training Authority came in, approving a pilot training programme in 2004, and in 2006, Simelane received his commercial helicopter pilot’s license.
He enjoys the versatility of working in the Kruger, describing the job as being far removed from the normal charter industry.
“I enjoy the game capture aspect, as well as the census and anti-poaching activities we do.”
Two years ago, he became the first black game capture rated pilot in SANParks history. This is a “complex pilot endorsement rating where a helicopter pilot needs to take into consideration the environment, animals and crew, all while managing the actual helicopter itself”.
