NC cops nab two for poaching
THE SON of a prominent Kimberley broker has been arrested after allegedly poaching kudus on a farm outside Kimberley.
The 26-year-old man, together with an 18-year-old alleged accomplice, was arrested on Thursday evening after being found in possession of two kudu carcasses, allegedly poached on the farms Kingston and Kalkdam, between Douglas and Schmidtsdrift.
According to information, a farmer from the area noticed the two men driving “suspiciously” in a Ford Courier on a dirt road in the area on Thursday evening.
The farmer then apparently followed the vehicle and alerted police after they arrived at the 26-year-old suspect’s father’s farm. Here the farmer blocked the entrance gate, so as to prevent the two suspects from leaving. The police arrived on the scene, where they found the two men and the carcasses of two kudus. A .222 calibre rifle with a silencer, which is believed to have been used during the alleged poaching incident, was also discovered on the farm.
The kudus, with an estimated value of R9 000 each, were allegedly poached on the border between the farms Kingston and Kalkdam, where farmers found two pools of blood at the scenes where the animals were apparently shot.
The two suspects were arrested on the farm by the Kimberley Stock Theft and Endangered Species unit for unlawful hunting (poaching) and the police also confiscated the Ford Courier bakkie and the rifle.
The two suspects are in custody and are expected to appear in the Kimberley Magistrate’s Court soon.
The Northern Cape police yesterday confirmed the arrest.
“On Thursday, November 29 2018, at about 9.30pm, the police followed up on information of alleged poaching. Members of the Stock Theft unit found two suspects in a Ford Courier bakkie on the farm and the carcasses of two kudus not far from the scene. Further investigation also led the police to a .222 calibre rifle with a silencer that was stashed on the farm. The police also confiscated the bakkie as it was allegedly used in the commission of crime. The suspects are aged 18 and 26 years old,” police spokesperson, Captain Sergio Kock, said yesterday.