Iconic camp in Kruger National Park’s southeast section evacuates guests to focus on ‘real emergencies’. From management to rangers and pilots, South Africa’s most famous Big Five reserve, Kruger National Park, has called in all available hands to wrestle with the impact of persistent heavy rainfall across the Limpopo and Mpumalanga provinces. Reynold Thakuli, spokesperson for Kruger National Park, described the situation as difficult for both staff and visitors.
“Some staff accommodation has flooded, but we have evacuated to various other rest camps,” Thakuli told Daily Maverick. “We had day visitors who couldn’t leave due to water rising over the Crocodile Bridge, and they are now accommodated in the park,” Thakuli said, referring to an incident earlier this week in the southeast section near the Mozambique border. “While all affected visitors were safely managed,” astatementby South African National Parks (SANParks) added: “The incident highlighted the risks posed by the ongoing weather conditions.” Thakuli said all staff continued to assist “where possible”.
He observed: “Animals are pretty adaptive and not too concerned. However, we are requesting communities around the park to report any sightings of animals outside the park and avoid areas with pools of water.” SANParks confirmed that the extreme weather had forced several operational changes. Day visitors were temporarily halted from entering the park “until conditions improve”.
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Letaba Rest Camp, also in the southeast, was actively evacuating staff and guests as the Letaba River had encroached into the camp. Phalaborwa Gate would remain closed for at least 24 hours. The Phalaborwa closure meant that — for the moment — there was no access into the park’s northern parts, SANParks said. It explained it was “mindful of the current strain on operational and emergency responses on resources during this period”.
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