South African National Parks (SANParks) has announced that two field rangers were attacked by an elephant in the Kruger National Park on Saturday, 30 March. The incident occurred while the rangers were on a standard, routine patrol in Parufi in the north of the park.
According to acting General Manager of Communications of Kruger National Park, Nhlanhla Themba, both Alfred Maluleke and Bethuel Khoza sustained only minor injuries. Themba attributes this to both men’s skills and knowledge of wildlife behaviour.
According to SANParks, the two field rangers were rushed to a nearby hospital for observation and were later discharged.
The Kruger National Park’s Managing Executive, Glenn Phillips, has wished the men a swift recovery on behalf of SANParks. ‘These are some of the many dangers that our Rangers [face] on a daily basis,’ says Phillips. He adds that poachers are not the only ones posing a threat to the men and women in green.
Image source: Mark Dumbleton
