Letters | Animals in the KNP

The Kruger National Park is a world famous wildlife park. It is a drawcard not only for South Africans but also for tourists from around the globe. Who wouldn’t be amazed to see the giraffe towering above the trees, a massive herd of elephants, the endangered, prehistoric rhino, the beautiful leopard relaxing in a tree and the mighty lion strolling next to our cars with not a care in the world, showing that he is not only king of the jungle but also king of the road.

We have been warned not to get out of our vehicles as these wild animals are dangerous. But we have not been warned that another danger lurks in the Kruger National Park — humans! A couple from Mossel Bay were found dead in the park with several stab wounds recently.

Their Ford Ranger bakkie was missing. Although their murders shocked the country and made headline news, SA National Parks has assured the public that this incident was the first of its kind in the 100-year history of the park and that it would beef up its security. If the couple had been mauled to death by lions they would be hunted down by the game rangers and shot without a second thought.

[paywall]

But the couple were not killed by animals but by opportunistic, ruthless criminals. If caught they will be given all the rights and privileges accorded to a human. Yet so many of them behave worse than animals, roaming the urban jungle freely, killing three people every hour, averaging 58 to 70 murders a day and totalling about 26000 murders a year.

So few of the trigger-happy criminals are caught and convicted. It may be the first such incident in the 100-year history of the Kruger National Park but it’s one too many for a country which has one of the highest homicide rates in the world.

[/paywall]