Two men – whose clothes were drenched in blood – were arrested after admitting to poaching a rhino and leading authorities to where its horn had been hidden.
Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife spokesperson Musa Mntambo said they arrested the suspects in the Nkangala area, 2km outside the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park (HiP).
“The arrest follows a tip-off from community members. The tip-off in the early hours of (Tuesday morning) indicated that two suspicious men were hiking outside the reserve. Our Anti-poaching Unit wasted no time, They noticed that the clothes of these two men were soaked in blood.”
The unit’s members questioned the men, who immediately admitted to poaching a rhino and voluntarily led the officers to where they had hidden the horn.
“We are searching for a firearm and any tool that might have been used. The search is being conducted with the assistance of the dogs and the two suspects.”
Mntambo said another arrest had been made on Monday morning at the Makhamisa section of the park. “The unit heard gun shots around 1am… They found themselves under fire from three poachers who narrowly missed them. The officers returned fire and wounded one suspect who was later arrested. The other two managed to escape.”
A .375 rifle, a silencer and 14 rounds of ammunition were recovered.
Ezemvelo’s chief executive Dr David Mabunda said: “These arrests prove that our unit has not lost hope in its war against poaching. It would have been easy for them to be despondent by now, but they continue putting their lives in danger.
“The intelligence information that communities living adjacent to our game reserves continue to share with us has contributed immensely in our fight against this onslaught.”
The organisation said 119 rhinos had been poached in the province this year and 80 arrests made. But the problem is not confined to KwaZulu-Natal. On Sunday, two people were arrested at OR Tambo International Airport after customs officials intercepted two bags with 10 rhino horns with an estimated value of R4.99 million, the South African Revenue Service (Sars) said.
Spokesperson Sandile Memela said officials intercepted horns which weighed 24.96kg.
Other KwaZulu-Natal parks bodies have continued to ramp up protective measures for their animals. The iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority, together with Ezemvelo, completed the re-dehorning of rhino in the western shores section of the park last week.
iSimangaliso chief executive Andrew Zaloumis said: “This section is one of those more vulnerable to poaching – and activity in KZN has been increasing as poachers have been deflected from the Kruger National Park.”
He said de-horning had been shown to be a significant deterrent.