3 alleged poachers shot dead in game reserve

Durban – Various authorities, including police search and rescue units, recovered the bodies of three alleged poachers in Hluhluwe on Thursday, paramedics said.  

"Rescuers recovered the bodies of the poachers from a deep ravine in the bush of a Hluhluwe-based game reserve," IPSS spokesperson Candice Grobler said.

According to Grobler, the intensive three-hour joint operation involved SAPS Search and Rescue, SAPS Dive Point and IPSS Medical Rescue.

Grobler said the deceased were accessed on foot after the rescuers were dropped off by a South African  National Defence Force Oryx helicopter.

"The deceased were carried out of the dense bush by the rescuers to a staging area where they were winched up into the airframe before being flown out."

She added that the bodies were handed over to the forensic pathology unit for further investigations.

The poachers on Wednesday shot at patrolling rangers who then returned fire.