Counter-poaching operations in KNP result in eight arrests
Eight suspected rhino poachers were arrested in three different sections of the Kruger National Park (KNP) during counter-poaching operations on Monday.
SKUKUZA – SANParks rangers, special rangers, K9 and air support units recovered three heavy calibre hunting rifles, ammunition and a variety of other poaching-related equipment during three counter-poaching operations on Monday.
The KNP managing executive Glenn Phillips said the park experiences incursions and poaching-related activities on a daily basis. “Our dedicated and committed anti-poaching teams, who are our eyes and ears in the bush, are always out there to quickly respond.
“We call upon poachers to weigh the risks of getting caught and we assure them that the gap is closing in on them,” he warned.
READ: KNP announces a drop in rhinos poached in 2018
Rangers’ vigilance and the sharp noses of the K9 unit, led them to a pipe bomb in a remote area of the KNP on October 12.
The group was patrolling the south-western boundary of the park when they spotted two pairs of tracks leading into a pipeline underneath a railway line.
They found a suspicious device linked to a battery and notified the police’s bomb squad. It was identified as a pipe bomb and safely detonated it at the scene.
Following this, SANParks CEO Fundisile Mketeni urged people to come forward with information on poachers and other criminals. “It is unfortunate that South Africans who are involved in such affairs do not seem to realise they are hurting their own people and their own country, and are in the process destroying their own heritage,” he said.
Phillips echoed this call and explained that the public can report criminal activities on either the KNP emergency numbers of 013-735-0197 or 076-801-9679, via the Department of Environmental Affairs’ crime hotline on 0800-205-005 or SAPS Crime Stop on 10111.
READ: Children with disabilities treated to KNP trip
