Four suspected rhino poachers remain at large after an attempted arrest. KwaZulu-Natal Ezemvelo Wildlife field rangers reported hearing gunshots coming from iSimangaliso Wetland Park on 12 November. Rangers were dispatched to assess the situation. They found two unattended boats on the bank of St Lucia Lake, and began patrolling the area on foot.
Four suspected poachers returned to the boats, one of them armed. Field rangers advised the suspects to surrender when one of them began firing in the general direction of the rangers, resulting in a shootout, according to News24.
Ezemvelo released a statement saying that ‘the suspected poachers ran in different directions during the shootout. Field rangers further observed blood in the water, which made them suspect that a poacher, probably the one with a gun, had been shot. He might have attempted to avert arrest by jumping into the water.’
All four poachers are still on the loose, with one of them potentially wounded as the search continues. ‘The search for the missing poacher is still ongoing, with the local community participating in the search. The other three suspect poachers are also still at large.’
Picture: Teagan Cunniffe
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