Kruger shootout: Rangers wound one poacher as two others escape

Kruger National Park rangers came head-to-head with three alleged poachers in the Kingfisherspruit section of the Kruger National Park on Tuesday.

Rangers were on patrol when they noticed the group. “One of the poachers was armed and a confrontation ensued,” said JP Louw, South African National Parks (SANParks) spokesperson.

Louw said the confrontation led to a crossfire, “wounding one of the poachers”.

A doctor treated the wounded poacher at the scene before he was transported to a local hospital.

The other two poachers managed to escape.

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Missing poachers

SANParks said that the crime scene was processed with the South African Police Service (Saps) and the Local Criminal Record Centre.

They recovered a heavy calibre rifle.

“The search for the remaining suspects continues,” said Louw.

The Kruger National Park is home to the world’s largest wild rhino population and has been under tremendous pressure from poachers.

In a separate incident, wildlife trafficker, Bao Trung, a 52-year-old Vietnamese national, was arrested for being in possession of 98 robbed rhino horns from a North West farm.

He appeared at the Kempton Park Magistrate’s Court at the start of March. The case was postponed to 12 March 2026 for a bail application.

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