Rhino Poaching 2013

[Richprins]

The tone of this release indicates they/we have not much more to say.

Pointless blaming the messengers, but clearly morale may be fading.

Strongs, Albi!


257 in Kruger alone this year should be impossible, regarding preventative measures. Something doesn't add up. Will think a bit.

[Sprocky]

My last idea to stop this bull...

Close KNP for three months, remove all humans from the area and then deploy an international first world military unit with orders to shoot and kill any human being found!!!!

[Penga Ndlovu]

I hear what you say bud and do agree on that, but that is Utopia.

At the moment they have around 500 rangers in Kruger that work in 2 man teams.
They are doing a job that they are not trained for. They are not soldiers and have another task to fulfill.

SANDF has at the moment 4 companies deployed. That is around 500 men.
Also these men are not very well trained, but luckily most of them are willing to do the task they came to do.

Ideally it should be a minimum of 9 companies.

A full batallion should be considered ideal.
Those 1200 men, with help of the rangers that know the terrain and whom are very bushwise, should be able to start making a difference.

However.

To make a real difference there should be 2 batallions in the park at all time and part of these batallions also should consist out of special forces personel.

Yes.

This is war talk, but when foreign nationals armed with guns cross your border it is an act of war.

[Richprins]

Agreed, PN!

I passed the concerns on to antipoaching and parliament.

However, the new army, aside from specialised task forces, struggles!

If you get my drift?


Some SP don't want the "regular" army there, just the task forces...

[Penga Ndlovu]

I know the army is in disarray and that is why they have to go in with overwhelming force or, as Spro ks says, a foreign taskforce.

But Mabunda does not want to have western noses there intefering with his business.

Wonder why.

[Richprins]

SP guys on the ground want the Army and SAPS out of there, other than dedicated specialists, obviously. There, I said it!

[Penga Ndlovu]

Too much to hide?

[RobertT]

I thought there was only half a company of army? That is why it is under strength.

[Penga Ndlovu]

No.
That is a jumble up of numbers.

The number that came out is the number of 250 relating to the 250 2- man teams of the rangers.

[Sprocky]

2013-06-07 19:13

Johannesburg - The number of rhino poached since the beginning of the year has risen to 394, environmental affairs said on Friday.

The total poached up to the end of last month was 367.

Spokesperson Albi Modise said the Kruger National Park (KNP) remained the hardest hit, with 257 rhino killed in the park since 1 January this year.

"In North West, 46 rhino have been poached, while 35 have been killed in KwaZulu-Natal, 28 in Limpopo, 25 in Mpumalanga, two in the Eastern Cape, and one in Gauteng."

Modise said three suspected rhino poachers were arrested on Thursday, bringing the number of rhino poaching-related arrests this year to 117.

The three were arrested in the Tshokwane region of the KNP in possession of firearms and axes.

Of the 117 arrested, Modise said 53 were suspected poachers arrested in the park, and five were alleged couriers.

He said Letaba section ranger Andrew Desmet, who was shot in the stomach during an operation to arrest rhino poachers nearly two weeks ago, was still recovering in hospital.

The department urged South Africans to call 0800 205 005 to report rhino poaching incidents.

- SAPA