Buffalo kills security guard
2003-02-24 18:07
Malelane - A buffalo that escaped from the Kruger National Park killed a security guard on a neighbouring game farm in Mpumalanga on Saturday afternoon.
Joseph Thobela (44) and two other guards had been searching for the buffalo bull after it entered the game farm on Friday night, said Malelane police station commissioner Captain Wilna Roos on Monday.
"The three guards were tasked to look for the buffalo so that the animal could be chased back into the Kruger," she said.
The guards tracked the buffalo down on Saturday afternoon. Buffaloes are notoriously aggressive and this male charged at the guards, fatally wounding Thobela.
Riverside manager Deon de Kock said Thobela's death was a great loss for the community.
"He was an energetic and trustworthy man and we mourn his death," said de Kock.
The buffalo escaped after killing Thobela and had not been found by Monday afternoon.
De Kock said it was suspected that the animal may have crossed back into the Kruger.
Kruger National Park spokesperson William Mabasa was unaware of the incident. - African Eye News Service