Six held for poaching 'symbol'
2005-01-11 13:46
Pietermaritzburg - Six Drakensberg residents have been arrested for poaching an eland, the spiritual symbol of the Bushmen people, out of the Giant's Castle section of the uKhahlamba World Heritage site.
The incident, which, according to Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife sources is the most blatant to date as it took place in broad daylight, has highlighted the fragile balance between wildlife conservation and community empowerment.
Relations between Ezemvelo and the amaHlubi community have always been good, sources indicate, and this latest poaching incident could be explained away as simply end-of-year high spirits.
However, as managers of a World Heritage Site (WHS), Ezemvelo are bound by international WHS legislation to provide effective site management, with the penalty of losing their management status should this prove impossible.
Ezemvelo admits that it is almost impossible to prevent Basotho poachers from killing wildlife in the area.
Ezemvelo spokesperson Jeff Gaisford said Ezemvelo field rangers were confronted by an angry mob when they arrived on January 2 to investigate reports that the eland had been chased out of the park and slaughtered on community land.
This followed a separate incident on New Year's Day when Ezemvelo staff in the area recovered eight head of cattle allegedly stolen in the Emhluntshini community nearby. These will be returned to their rightful owners shortly.
When the rangers arrived on the scene in the amaHlubi community area, the eland had already been butchered and a large crowd of about 30 people armed with sticks, knives and spears confronted the rangers, threatening them with death if they interfered.
The rangers radioed for assistance and staff from nearby Monk's Cowl rushed to the scene where they found that all the meat had been removed.
Some of the people suspected of being involved are known to the Ezemvelo rangers, who went to their homes only to find no one there.
They then tried to intercept the rest of the poaching group in the Emahendeni area and saw a group of seven men carrying meat and spears.
When the poachers saw the rangers approaching, they dropped the spears and meat and fled.
While the rangers were gathering the meat and spears, another crowd of about 80 people, also armed with sticks and spears, gathered and threatened to burn their vehicles if they did not leave the poachers alone.
Ezemvelo staff left the area, taking with them the remnants of the dead eland as well as photographs of some of the suspects.
A case of poaching was opened at the Ntabamhlope SAPS office.
Ezemvelo staff are expected to open dialogue between themselves and the amaHlubi tribal authority. The six are expected to appear in the Estcourt Magistrate's Court this week.
More meat was confiscated and will be tested to confirm that it is eland.