Collared jumbo shot

A regional warden of Balule Nature Reserve, 36-year-old Frikkie Kotze, was found guilty at the Lenyenye Regional Court on Monday of unlawfully hunting an elephant after a collared male elephant named George was shot in August, reports Letaba Herald.

The hunt was conducted illegally and Balule management laid criminal charges against Kotze as soon as the incident was reported.

Kotze pleaded guilty and was fined R50 000 or five years’ imprisonment, with both options suspended for five years.

He must also pay R35 000 to Elephants Alive, the research organisation which was tracking the elephant as part of ongoing research, in order to replace the elephant collar.

The hunt was illegal because the elephant was shot in Mpumalanga but the hunting permit was issued by Limpopo authorities. Balule Nature Reserve straddles both provinces.

The elephant was allegedly covered in mud and Kotze and professional hunter JJ Horn claimed not to have seen the collar. – Caxton News Service