An alleged poacher was arrested this week after he was trampled by a herd of elephants in Kruger National Park (KNP) in South Africa.
Police apprehended the man after the elephants chased him onto a main tourist road inside the park. Due to his injuries, which were only minor, he was unable to escape from the SAPS Organized Crime Unit.
This incident comes in the same week that an alleged rhino poaching gang shot and killed a park ranger within KNP. Reports say that the ranger and his team had been tracking the poachers with a canine patrol unit when shots were fired.
Kruger has long been a hot spot for poaching. Last year, 55 rangers were killed in Africa in the battle to save iconic animals like the elephant and rhinoceros from extinction.
In January this year, Water and Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa announced that 502 rhino poachers and 16 alleged traffickers were arrested in South Africa during 2017. In spite of this, 67 elephants were slaughtered and 504 rhinos were poached from KNP last year.
Although the numbers are staggering, they have decreased in the last few years by 24 percent, thanks to an improved anti-poaching plan involving military-style training for rangers, canine tracking teams and increased cooperation between law enforcement agencies.
Rangers have also started using advanced surveillance technology known as “Meerkat” to help them track human movements within Kruger.
While the war against illegal wildlife trafficking and the slaughter of innocent animals continues, it’s nice to hear that thanks to the elephants themselves, there will be one less poacher to worry about this year.
I LOVE IT!!! Too bad his injuries were only minor, this guy should have been stopped until there was nothing to stomp.
These beautiful magnificent animals, why do people feel the need to kill them just for their ivory?? I am 61 years old and I have never had an ivory item in my life not do I feel the need to have one. I am NOT into ridiculous trinkets that calls for the killing of a helpless animal in order for me to have.
And the killing of rhinos for their horns and gorillas for their gallbladders to make aphrodisiacs. APHRODISIACS!!! Can you get your head wrapped around that?? And it is mainly the Chinese who buy the rhino horns and the gorilla gallbladders!!
I have a newsflash for these people, if you can’t get it up, buy some fricking Viagra!!!
All of this sets my hair on fire I am so furious about it.
Atleast there is one less, animals should feel safe and protected.
He got what he deserved!
Hooray!
Sejam humanos e não monstros.
You GO elephants! Keep up the good work!
So glad to hear about new weapons to fight this horrid practice! My heart goes out to the family and friends of those park rangers who have been killed in this fight!
Now that is the purest & most appropriate form of justice. Best those poachers did not see that coming, but I sure bet they wished they had stayed in whatever hole they had crawled out of. BRAVO FOR THE ELEPHANTS & THE RANGERS.
Good on the elephants i hope poaching is stopped forever i hope the elephants hurt more poachers when poachers are caught they should be shot in the head
We must help
THE ONLY WAY WE CAN SUCCEED TO SAVE THE WILDLIFE IS TO HUNT DOWN THE BIG CORPORATES WHO ARE TOTALLY RESPONSIBLE, THE POACHERS ARE HIRED TO DO THE DIRTY WORK AND PAID MISERABLY FOR RISKING THEIR LIVES, POVERTY BREEDS CRIME, THE CORPORATES TAKE TOTAL ADVANTAGE OF THESE ISSUES, WITH THE HELP OF CORRUPT GOVERNMENTS, THE MOST INFURIATING ISSUE IS THAT MOST OF THE WORLD NATIONS ARE NOT WILLING TO SPEAK UP FOR THE DECIMATION OF THESE BEAUTIFUL GENTLE NON-HUMAN ANIMALS, AND THE EFFECTS IT IS HAVING ON THE ECOSYSTEM WHICH IN REALITY EFFECTS US ALL, NOT ONLY AFRICA, THERE IS SIMPLY NO THOUGHT PROCESS OF TOMORROWS FROM OUR GOVERNMENTS, THE REST OF THE NATIONS DO NOT CARE ABOUT THE REST OF THE HUMAN POPULATION, AS FAR AS THE GOVERNMENTS BENEFIT THAT IS ALL THAT MATTERS.
That is right, get information from the poachers to lead to those in command and arrest and execute them once it is found that the evidence is overwhelming. The poachers get 40 yrs in prison if they cooperate. if they do not then they can rot in jail and come out in a box.
Just a pity the Elephants could not be trained to chase these Evil cretins into a place the authorities could pick them up.?