Nigerians arrested for poaching at Zululand Rhino Reserve Simon Bloch A long weekend joint-operation between the Durban Organized Crime Unit and a Zululand anti-poaching team successfully splintered a cell of Nigerians and other foreign African nationals Saturday believed to be linked to the renewed spike of poaching in the province. The operation, made up by members of Zululand Rhino Reserve management personnel and the crack Nyathi anti-poaching unit, led to the arrest of two Nigerians, while on-going operations continue looking for other members of the gang. Acting on solid intelligence, a ten-man security team was deployed to set an ambush inside the sprawling 23 000 ha reserve early Saturday afternoon where the anticipated incursion was expected. After a gunman and his axe-carrying accomplice were dropped off outside the fence-line, they were caught off-guard inside reserve when they suddenly realized they were in an ambush. While the axe-man dropped his weapon and managed to escape into thick bush, the trigger-man carrying a loaded 303 hunting rifle with a silencer, telescope and ten rounds of ammunition, was run down by security officials, arrested and handcuffed. The operation also led to the arrest of their getaway driver, a Nigerian, who was had been tailed to a Mkhuze district road where he parked after the drop-off, awaiting the poacher’s signal to return. Both were taken into custody at Mkhuze Police station where they were charged with unlawful possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, intent to illegally hunt threatened species under the Biodiversity Act and trespassing. The group’s Opel Corsa pick-up vehicle was also seized. Barend Lottering, owner and head of Nyathi APU which protects the reserve, had been attending meetings at Kruger National Park when he received a call on Friday, forcing him to return. “Our intelligence gathering network has been monitoring the group’s movements and activities round the clock for the last five weeks, so I had to rush back to direct the operation. “Although our usual foreign national suspects are normally Mozambicans, this particular cell appears to be controlled by Nigerians and citizens from other African nations” he said. Dave Robertson , the former head conservation manager at Mkhuze Game Reserve who now works as General Manager at Zululand Rhino Reserve, called the operation a “great success. “With Nyathi as our hired anti-poaching security force, we have fortunately not lost a rhino to date. Their counter-poaching initiatives have saved a lot of rhinos’ lives in the province this year, and their interventions are always impressive.” he added. As the extinction clock winds down, the total number of rhino poached for their horns in South Africa this year is rapidly reaching the total of for the whole of 2012 when 668 of the historical pachyderms were slaughtered. By Sunday, 555 rhino had been recorded poached nationally. KwaZulu Natal figures were sitting at 55, compared to 68 in the province in 2012. ENDS
Posted on: Sun, 11 Aug 2013 18:32:10 +0000
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