IN PICS | Princess Charlene of Monaco rushes to the rescue of SA's rhinos

Princess Charlene has been getting her hands dirty in the fight to save our country’s rhinos from being pushed to the brink of extinction.

The former SA Olympic swimmer, who married Prince Albert of Monaco in 2011, is currently back home in Mzansi doing wildlife conversation work.

In a press statement, the royal expressed concern over statistics showing a “quite drastic” decline in SA’s rhino population.

“In the last 10 years, poachers have relentlessly killed these rhinos, and they have not had time to recover,” Her Serene Highness said. “If we don’t act now, the rhino’s future in Africa is uncertain.”

As part of her mission to combat poaching, the princess was on the ground while rangers darted rhinos from a helicopter and dehorned them — a measure which reduces the risk they'll be targeted.

“We have to protect our rhinos and their future by protecting and dehorning them, safely and as gently as possible,” she explained.

In a series of pictures released by the Princess Charlene of Monaco Foundation SA, the princess can be seen apparently comforting rhinos during the dehorning process.

Take a look: