Huge victory in the fight against rhino poaching
Three rhino poachers, who were caught with two freshly chopped rhino horns, an assault rifle, a hunting rifle and an axe in the Kruger National Park, were sentenced this week to 25 years each by the Phalaborwa Regional Court. A SANParks spokesperson indicated that the three, all Mozambicans, were found guilty of illegally hunting rhino in the Kruger National Park in July 2010.
SANParks CEO David Mabunda said the sentence was harsher than it had been in other similar cases. “This is an indication that, as a country, we are taking more stringent measures in the fight against rhino poaching,” he said.
Aselmo Baloyi, Jawaki Nkuna and Ismael Baloy were also found guilty of possessing an illegal firearm (an automatic rifle), possession of a firearm (a hunting rifle) and possession of ammunition.
Mabunda said that last year 232 suspected poachers were arrested, including 26 who died in fights with the authorities. These harsher sentences, together with the extra 150 game rangers being deployed in Kruger, is going to make massive inroads into the rhino poaching taking place in Kruger, where most of the rhino are poached each year.
WILDTRUST (registered as the Wildlands Conservation Trust - IT No: 4329/1991/PMB)