Rhino Poaching: Five men arrested in Limpopo

Limpopo police nabbed five individuals suspected of rhino poaching and illicit elephant tusk trading.

RHINO POACHING ARREST IN LIMPOPO

Five suspects in Limpopo have been arrested for rhino poaching and illegal trades if elephant tusks.

According to Sowetan Live, Col Malesela Ledwaba, police spokesperson, stated that the men were apprehended by the endangered species unit and wildlife security on Thursday.

The five men who four of them are reported to be foreigners and one South African are expected to appear at the Letsitele and Maake magistrates’ court.

The five suspects are charged with conspiracy to commit rhino poaching, possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition, unlawful possession of an elephant tusk and contravention of the Immigration Act. 

Ledwaba stated that the team acted on intelligence regarding suspects planning to poach rhinos at a game reserve near Phalaborwa.

“The suspects’ vehicle was intercepted on the R529 road in the Letsitele policing area, and during the search, police recovered a rifle bolt. During the operation, law enforcement officers recovered a rifle without a bolt, a silencer, and an elephant tusk at a house in Sekororo village in the Maake policing area,” stated Ledwaba.

RELENTLESS POACHING CONTINUES TO CLAIM THE LIVES OF MORE RHINOS

According to Sowetan Live,51 more rhinos were slaughtered for their horns in 2023 compared with the year before.

Last year, out of the 499 rhinos poached, 406 were killed in state properties, and 93 were slain in privately owned parks, reserves, and farms.

In 2023, Kruger National Park reported that it saw a 37% decrease in rhino poaching compared to 2022, with a total of 78 rhinos poached.

No rhinos were poached in any other national parks.

Environmental minister Barbara Creecy the Hawks for their regional and transnational efforts to bolster the government’s comprehensive strategy to tackle wildlife trafficking.