KNP: ‘Poachers’ caught on bloody Sunday
Three alleged poachers appeared in Skukuza Regional Court yesterday accused of killing three rhinos on a particularly bloody Sunday in Kruger National Park last weekend, The Citizen reports.
According to SANParks environmental crime investigator Frikkie Rossouw, a ranger detail was patrolling in the area when they heard shots being fired.
The rangers began moving in the direction of the shots and, while doing so, heard another two sets of shots being fired.
Read: Suspected poachers fire on SANparks helicopter
When the rangers came across a freshly dehorned carcass, tracker dog Cleo was deployed and led the team to a second dehorned rhino.
Cleo didn’t stop, however, and it was at the third carcass the three suspects were arrested before they could dehorn it.
Read: Zuma leads anti-poaching campaign in KNP
Inside the cordoned off area, a team of SAPS forensic and SANParks environmental crime investigation specialists conducted a post-mortem on the rhino while rangers kept a sharp eye for lion they had chased off the carcass earlier.
Read: Two alleged poachers killed in KNP
The specialists also gathered DNA samples in order to tie the horns found with the suspects to their original owner. With an expended 375 calibre cartridge found on the scene being the same calibre as the rifle found with the suspects, all investigators needed was the projectile.
For the full article on The Citizen’s website, click on: ‘Poachers’ caught on bloody Sunday
