Skukuza - SANParks has issued a final written warning to a staff member who fired three shots in the air to scare an elephant off the road. It had been reported last week that visitors to the park witnessed an official in SANParks uniform disembarking from his vehicle and firing shots to scare the elephant off the road. Video footage sent in to News24 Travel by a reader, shows evidence of the man walking along the road and the elephant disappearing into the bushes. Beeld reports that the official admitted to firing the shots, saying that he was in a hurry to attend a memorial service for fallen rangers. Isaac Phaahla, spokesperson for SANParks, said that while staff members are allowed to fire shots in the air to scare off animals that are blocking the road when there is a need, but that they are to report the incident to the nearest section ranger. The official did not adhere to this protocol, however, and was subjected to a disciplinary hearing during which he received his final warning.
