The arrested individual, whose name cannot be made public until his appearance in court, is suspected to be part of an active group of poachers operating in the Kruger National Park and surrounding reserves.
During the arrest, a .308 rifle, 2 x 9mm pistols, a variety of ammunition, SANParks Field Rangers uniform, hunting equipment and suspected rhino parts were recovered. According to the chief operations officer of the KNP Rangers Corp, Ken Maggs, this is an ongoing operation and further investigations are underway.
In another incident on the same day, within the Malelane section of the KNP, field rangers made contact with a group of three armed suspected poachers. A shoot ensued between the suspected poachers and rangers; one suspect was wounded and arrested with the two accomplices. A .375 hunting rifle, ammunition and other hunting equipment were recovered.
