Pretoria - An alleged rhino poacher was shot dead in the Kruger National Park on Wednesday.
His accomplice escaped but was arrested later while being treated at a nearby hospital.
The men were allegedly found armed inside the park on Wednesday by rangers who were patrolling, Sanparks CEO David Mabunda said.
A shoot-out ensued and one of the men was killed. A rifle, cell phone and ammunition were found on the dead man.
Mabunda said it was unfortunate that there had been a loss of a life, however, it was important not to detract from the real issue of rhino poaching. He described rhino poaching as an attack on South Africa's national heritage.
"We want to send a stern warning to would-be poachers that we are as organised as they are and we will fight fire with fire all in an effort of protecting our natural resources," said Mabunda.
Since the beginning of the year, 232 rhino had been poached throughout South Africa, 104 of them from the Kruger National Park. A total of 119 alleged poachers had been arrested, 45 of them in the park.
"The time has come for those who think they can come into the parks to kill defenceless animals and get away with it to realise that we are serious when we say we will stamp out this unacceptable practice," said Mabunda.
Cabinet earlier this week condemned the upsurge in rhino killings, saying this posed a threat to conservation efforts.
It urged South Africans to be vigilant and co-operate with the law enforcement authorities to ensure that all those implicated in poaching were brought to book as soon as possible.
"These killings are posing a threat to the strides the country has made in rhino conservation over the years," said government spokesperson Themba Maseko.
The rhino population in South Africa was close to extinction in the early 1960s. However, by the end of 2007 the country had conserved 35 percent of Africa's black rhino and 93 percent of Africa's white rhino.
Rhino horn has no proven medicinal value, yet its illegal trade continues internationally.
Their horns can fetch up to R429 000 per kilogram on the black market. Each horn can weight around 8kg.
