The South African Police Service (SAPS) has pledged its unwavering commitment to the continued fight against poaching.
“We continue to call upon our communities to support the South African Police Service in our effort to protect the natural resources of our country so that our children and children's children can enjoy them for generations to come,” SAPS said on Monday.
However, this crime continues, despite many poachers losing their lives and others having been arrested and handed lengthy jail terms.
In their last intelligence-driven operation on Saturday, a member of the South African Police Service’s Special Task Force (STF) was wounded and two suspects were killed at the Loskop Nature Reserve, north of Middleburg in Mpumalanga.
The team, comprising members of the STF and the local stock theft unit, acting on intelligence, tracked down two suspected poachers when they came under fire shortly after 9pm.
According to police, a shootout ensued which resulted in the STF member being shot in the leg and two suspects being fatally wounded.
The team recovered a rifle that was fitted with a silencer.
SAPS has praised its members who put their lives on the line to protect wildlife. - SAnews.gov.za
