Poachers exposed residents to possible attacks by large predator animals when they broke down fences, said director of the new Ritsako game lodge in Hammanskraal Joseph Zinyana.
Zinyana was referring to a recent incident in which poachers had broken down a fence around Dinokeng nature reserve.
The two game reserves, owned by Zinyana, are home to so-called “Big 5” animals (African elephant, black rhinoceros, Cape buffalo, African lion and African leopard).
Hammanskraal residents were urged to take a stand against poaching.
“Some of these poachers are local people who are known in the community,” said Zinyane. “Thus we are calling for the community to help us in the fight against poaching.”
Poachers break down fences to trap and kill springboks and other smaller game for food.
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He said more awareness and education were needed to make residents aware about the dangers of poaching.
Residents should be proud that the game reserves could create employment for the locals, he said.
“Residents should report perpetrators to the police,” he said.
“We have sourced all the material to build our lodge from local businesses and the spin-offs from that have been immeasurable. This has created a chain of benefit to empower and uplift the community.”
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