Two Armed Mozambican Men Arrested For Illegal Hunting In Kruger National Park

Two Mozambican nationals, aged 29 and 38, were arrested in the Kruger National Park on Thursday, 8 May 2025, for illegal hunting and possession of an unlicensed firearm and ammunition. The arrests followed a high-alert operation involving field rangers, a K9 unit, helicopters, and tracking hounds.

Lieutenant Colonel Jabu Ndubane, spokesperson for Mpumalanga police, said the two suspects were also charged with trespassing in the Houtboschrand Ranger area, located in the park’s Marula North section. The arrests were made after field rangers, while on patrol, detected tracks of three suspected poachers.

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“The arrest came after the field rangers who were on patrol picked up tracks of three suspected poachers. They informed their regional ranger of Marula North section, who immediately dispatched the K9 unit, and they started tracking,” Ndubane said.

Mozambican Poachers Caught Hiding in Burrow with Rifle and Ammo

As the search intensified, rangers with visual confirmation of the suspects alerted support teams. Helicopters and hounds were deployed to the Gorge Block area, where the suspects had been seen.

“One helicopter and the hounds then started searching in the direction where the poachers had been spotted,” Ndubane explained. “After some time of searching, they were able to spot two of the three suspects. The two had run into a small bush and hid under an antbear burrow.”

The suspects were found in possession of a hunting rifle and eleven rounds of ammunition. The third suspect evaded capture and remains at large. The two arrested men are expected to appear before the Skukuza Periodical Court soon.

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Kruger’s Ongoing Battle Against Poaching Intensifies

The latest arrests come amid growing efforts to curb illegal poaching in South Africa’s premier wildlife reserve. Just last week, the Skukuza Regional Court sentenced 41-year-old rhino poacher Nelson Sambo to 20 years in prison for his role in rhino poaching activities within the park.

On December 2, 2020, Sambo and another man, only identified as Gabriel, entered Kruger through the Stolznek section. According to police spokesperson Brigadier Donald Mdhluli, “The field rangers deployed in the field on that day heard two gunshots within the section of Stolznek. The incident was then immediately reported, and assistance was sought from Skukuza Airport.”

Authorities continue to intensify patrols and surveillance operations to protect Kruger’s endangered wildlife and deter illegal hunting.

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