Re: Rhino Poaching 2013
Posted: Thu Apr 18, 2013 7:32 am
Apr 17 2013 9:05PM
SA’s silent guerilla war
Michael Appel -thenewage.co.za
While the public see headline after headline about another rhino killed, the Kruger National Park resembles a guerrilla warfare zone rather than an anti-poaching operation area.
Retired Maj-Gen Johan Jooste, who heads up the park’s anti-poaching operations, said 72 known armed incursions were made into the park from Mozambique in March.
This translates into more than two known armed incursions a day. March’s figure is up from January and February which recorded 65 and 50 incursions, respectively.
“We are fighting a counter-insurgency war. There is a strong military influence and these are ex-military types with training that we deal with. The war is escalating and this can be seen in the aggressive nature of the attacks and the weapons being used,” Jooste said.
SANDF troops and field rangers within the park are bound by strict rules of engagement. These rules prohibit them from opening fire on a poacher unless they can prove their life is in danger. Poachers cannot be pursued across the SA-Mozambique border. Those same rules, however, do not apply to poachers.
Jooste said the majority of armed incursions into the park take place in the south where more rhino can be found.
“Poachers are typically two to four groups of men with multiple weapons, including silenced rifles, that do hit-and-run operations in the south of the park. In the north, there are normally three to five poachers that do three to six day incursions, as rhino are more scarce,” he said.
Being a field ranger in a nature reserve a decade ago has changed entirely. Where it used to revolve around 80% conservation and 20% poaching, the reverse is now true.
Retired Maj Jack Greeff, an ex-special forces soldier who could ply his trade in conflict zones across the world, now trains field rangers in the park.
“I was able to take my passion for the environment and mix it with my military experience. We train for guerrilla warfare here. A poacher is a criminal and a saboteur that acts as an insurgent. We therefore train the field rangers to conduct anti-insurgency operations,” Greeff said.
michaela@thenewage.co.za
SA’s silent guerilla war
Michael Appel -thenewage.co.za
While the public see headline after headline about another rhino killed, the Kruger National Park resembles a guerrilla warfare zone rather than an anti-poaching operation area.
Retired Maj-Gen Johan Jooste, who heads up the park’s anti-poaching operations, said 72 known armed incursions were made into the park from Mozambique in March.
This translates into more than two known armed incursions a day. March’s figure is up from January and February which recorded 65 and 50 incursions, respectively.
“We are fighting a counter-insurgency war. There is a strong military influence and these are ex-military types with training that we deal with. The war is escalating and this can be seen in the aggressive nature of the attacks and the weapons being used,” Jooste said.
SANDF troops and field rangers within the park are bound by strict rules of engagement. These rules prohibit them from opening fire on a poacher unless they can prove their life is in danger. Poachers cannot be pursued across the SA-Mozambique border. Those same rules, however, do not apply to poachers.
Jooste said the majority of armed incursions into the park take place in the south where more rhino can be found.
“Poachers are typically two to four groups of men with multiple weapons, including silenced rifles, that do hit-and-run operations in the south of the park. In the north, there are normally three to five poachers that do three to six day incursions, as rhino are more scarce,” he said.
Being a field ranger in a nature reserve a decade ago has changed entirely. Where it used to revolve around 80% conservation and 20% poaching, the reverse is now true.
Retired Maj Jack Greeff, an ex-special forces soldier who could ply his trade in conflict zones across the world, now trains field rangers in the park.
“I was able to take my passion for the environment and mix it with my military experience. We train for guerrilla warfare here. A poacher is a criminal and a saboteur that acts as an insurgent. We therefore train the field rangers to conduct anti-insurgency operations,” Greeff said.
michaela@thenewage.co.za
mouseinthehouse
