Two poachers killed in shoot-out with rangers

TWO suspected rhino poachers were shot and killed by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife field rangers in the uMkhuze Game Reserve section of the iSimangaliso Wetland Park on Tuesday night.

According to an EKZNW, four field rangers were on foot patrol when they noticed suspicious men inside the game reserve.

‘A man carrying a .458 rifle started shooting at our rangers. The rangers returned fire in self-defence,’ said EKZNW Communications Officer Musa Mntambo,

The rangers were not injured.

The .458-calibre rifle with silencer, a cane knife and two cell phones were recovered.

Members of the Organised Crime Unit, uMkhuze police and the Richards Bay SAPS Forensics Department attended the crime scene. The identity and nationality of the poachers are unknown at this stage and the Organised Crime Unit is conducting further investigations.

‘The northern sections of KZN, including iSimangaliso Wetland Park, have seen a significant increase in the number of rhino poachers over the past months,’ said Andrew Zaloumis, CEO of iSimangaliso Wetland Park Authority.

He said the foiled poaching attempt follows two other recent successes within the wetland park.

In one operation Ezemvelo field rangers recovered a heavy calibre firearm with a silencer and in another a rhino poacher with a heavy calibre rifle was arrested.

CEO of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, Dr Bandile Mkhize, expressed his concern about poachers seemingly losing respect for law enforcement officials.

‘They are prepared to shoot and kill whoever stands between them and a rhino horn,’ said Mkhize.

‘We do not encourage the killing of poachers, but at times our rangers are left with no choice as they defend themselves from these criminals who obviously do not value human life’.

As of Monday, 79 rhinos have been poached in KwaZulu-Natal, 52 suspected rhino poachers have been arrested in the province and 36 firearms recovered.