Kruger National Park (KNP) officials are considering cutting off the cellphone signal in the park to curb irresponsible behaviour.

“I think people would be shocked to know that their tips on sightings are being monitored by poachers. We are talking to experts to see what can be done to curb irresponsible behaviour. Cutting off the signal might be the answer.”

He added that it is possible that poachers are using the geotagged locations from the photos and selfies to track and kill rhinos and elephants.

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Poaching remains a huge problem in the park. Phaahla said the aim of potential changes would be to deal with the impact of mobile technology, which is reportedly contributing to overcrowding and reckless behaviour, as well as enabling poaching.

A local tour operator confirmed that mobile apps can reveal the location of animals. He said it is unbelievable how sophisticated these poaching syndicates are, and that they often have several social media profiles that are used to track posts about wildlife.

Phaahla added, “Until we can find a solution, we are calling on people to take their time, enjoy the scenery and peace and quiet, and not rely on their phones to enhance their experience.”

He reminded visitors to switch off their geotagging, and not to indicate when, where and at what time a photo was taken.

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New rules are now considered after a spate of incidents have raised concerns about the impact of tourism. KNP received approximately 1,8 million visitors in 2019, and this has led to several problems, including traffic accidents.

Last month three impala were killed by an alleged speeding motorist, and in November a giraffe was killed when it was hit by a minibus. A Swiss tourist died during the accident.