In a breakthrough in the fight against rhino poaching, game rangers from the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park on the KwaZulu-Natal north coast have shot dead an alleged top poacher.
Hi-tech systems notified rangers of the night time incursion by three men about a week ago.
In the video below, Hi-Tech equipment helps the reduction of rhino poaching in the country.
The spokesperson of the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Environmental Affairs Ndabe Sibiya says rangers shot and killed two of the suspects in a confrontation.
Sibiya says one of the two victims was convicted of the possession of rhino horn in 2017 and had been suspected of coordinating poaching in the park from Mpumalanga.
“The MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs, Nomusa Dube-Ncube, has described the latest development as a breakthrough. She has been encouraging Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife to use cutting edge technology.”
Sibiya says the use of infrared cameras that use artificial intelligence to send information about an incursion to an operational centre enabled rangers to deploy rapidly. He says Rhino poaching has been reduced to 28 cases so far in 2020.
“The staff from Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, together with Peace Parks Foundation and the national Department of Environmental Affairs, Forestry and Fisheries; have been working hard to install a number of technologies in the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park. This has been part of a long term strategy to protect the rhino population.”
South Africa records a 23% reduction in rhino poaching in 2019:
