The continued poaching of animals at the Kruger National Park is having a devastating effect on the mental health of game rangers.
As a result, many are opting to leave the profession to preserve their mental health.
Due to the immense size of the park and a lack of resources, rangers have had to take on extra workloads to curb the scourge of poaching.
The gruesome killing of wildlife coupled with poaching syndicates co-opting some employees has exacerbated the situation.
Regional Ranger in the northern section of the park, Don English says working in anti-poaching has caused irreparable damage to some of the staff.
“Some people have resigned because they couldn’t make that change. Remember I signed on to become a game ranger, I didn’t sign on to become a soldier. Because of the whole thing, we were forced to become soldiers, to be able to get back to conservation which we are slowly doing as the poaching goes down.”
“That change, a lot of people couldn’t make including some of the men. The pressure on our families has been irreparable,” adds English.
The video below is reporting more on the story
