HLUHLUWE-IMFOLOZI POACHING INCIDENT

EZEMVELO KWAZULU-NATAL WILDLIFE
MEDIA RELEASE No: 2006 - 08

HLUHLUWE-IMFOLOZI POACHING INCIDENT
For immediate release
poaching one...
Working in close co-operation with members of the SAPS Organised Crime Unit, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife (EKZNW) staff in the Imfolozi section of the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park (HIP) arrested two men following the shooting of two white rhinos in the Park on 23 August 2006.
The two men were apparently linked to a bigger poaching network and due to the extreme sensitivity of the on-going SAPS investigation at the time, news of this incident could only be released to the media today.
Working on information provided by the SAPS, EKZNW staff monitored the two suspects who, it appears, had put false number plates on their vehicles and had recorded false ID numbers in the Park entry register when they entered the Hluhluwe-Imfolozi Park via the Cengeni Gate on 22 August 2006.
The two men were tracked to the Hilltop Camp where they booked accommodation and had dinner, being kept under surveillance the entire night.
At about 0600 on 23 August 2006, the two men left Hilltop Camp in one vehicle and proceeded along tourist roads into the Imfolozi section.
Undercover staff had been strategically placed at key points along their route to monitor their movements and this allowed EKZNW and SAPS staff to plan the final arrest operation.
Due to the nature of the HIP tourist road network and theneed to keep the suspects from becoming suspicious, there was a three hour period in which their exact location was not known.
At about 12.00 the suspects were seen passing through Mpila Camp in Imfolozi heading towards Hilltop and were closely monitored in case they attempted to leave the Park by the northern Memorial Gate.
As an additional precaution, arrangements were made for helicopter support to allow for additional speed and flexibility in the operation.
At Hilltop Camp the suspects quickly collected their second vehicle and departed back towards Imfolozi, their movements being monitored the whole time.
The helicopter was called in to transfer three SAPS members from the eastern boundary of the Park to the Cengeni Gate on the western boundary.
Ground teams moved in to ensure that the suspects did not elude them and the first suspect drove to the Cengeni Gate where he was arrested.
He managed to give a signal to the second suspect who was travelling behind him but with the ground support team closing in he was also quickly arrested.
The following items were seized at the scene:
I Nissan 1400 bakkie
1 Toyota Hilux double cab
4 rhino horns
3 illegal fire arms including ammunition
Knives and gloves used to remove horns from thepoached rhino
Various documents key to the further investigation
Cellphones and two-way radios

From initial interviews with the suspects it transpired that they had shot two white rhino males and quickly removed the horns during the three hour period when their location was uncertain, and then had returned to Hilltop Camp.
The two suspects are being linked to a wider national syndicate targeting rhino in a number of other locations and one man was at that time out on bail, having been arrested for the possession of rhino horns in May 2006.
This highly successful operation has been critical in reducing a massive threat to rhino conservation nationally.
As it was the first time this group had attempted to poach rhino in KZN it is testimony to the professional planning of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife staff and the well-established security networks they have with the SAPS Organised Crime Unit that the suspects were rapidly arrested with the maximum of incriminating evidence.
The investigation is continuing and further arrests are anticipated.
"This is a most significant case and I wish to commend most highly the staff of Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and the members of the SAPS Organised Crime Unit who were involved in the operation," said Mr Khulani Mkhize, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife CEO.
AJG/ Media Release No: 2006 - 08