Johannesburg - Two men have been arrested for trying to get a Kruger National Park ranger to kill and de-horn a rhino, Limpopo police said on Monday.
“According to information, the two men, 39 and 35, approached a ranger in the park and asked him to shoot and de-horn the animal because it would be 'easier' for him to do so,” Colonel Ronel Otto said in a statement.
“The ranger agreed, but told them that they would need to bring him a fire-arm, as he could not shoot the animal with his official fire-arm.”
The ranger then contacted the police.
A meeting was arranged between the ranger and the men at Plange village, near Malamulele.
Police arrested the 39-year-old man at a meeting on Sunday evening, and confiscated a hunting rifle and a car.
The 35-year-old man ran to a home of a woman in the village. She alerted community members, who assaulted him. He was in hospital in a serious, but stable condition.
The 39-year-old would appear in the Malamulele Magistrate's Court on Tuesday for possession of an unlicensed firearm and conspiracy to commit a crime, said Otto.
The 35-year-old man would appear in court once he had sufficiently recovered from his injuries, she said.
Sapa