THE 7th of March was the worst day of his 29-year career as a ranger.
This after Joe Nkuna found more than 80 vultures that had died from poisoning.
The vultures, as is their nature, had been feeding on the carcass of a Buffalo. The horrific discovery was made a few metres from the Grootvlei Dam in Mooiplass, Nxanatseni, on the northern parts of the Kruger National Park.
The 64-year-old section ranger, affectionally known as kokwani, who has been wrapping up his days towards retirement on 31 March, described the scene as disturbing.
Kokwani explained that the buffalo had been caught in a snare and killed for its meat before being poisoned by the hunters.
“I feel bad to observe 86 of my vultures being poisoned. It means I'm now without vultures in my area,” he said.
“What's going to happen if an elephant dies? What's going to clean up? Who's going to clean them up? They play an important role in nature.
“It’s painful to lose such a large number of vultures at the same time,” he said.
Flanked by two rangers, Kokwani spoke about how they noticed two-foot tracks from the scene leading towards the Lebombo bridge.
A group of reporters, hosted by the SA National Parks, surrounded him as he recalled the incident, a stone’s throw away from the Lebombo border that divides the park and Mozambique.
Section ranger for the Pafuri region, Richard Sowry shared that they arrested poachers from across the border hunting for bushmeat.
He spoke about a separate case where they arrested a father and his 13-year-old child from Zimbabwe who were found hunting in the area.
He spoke of how the situation called for people to have empathy for the father.
“He was not poaching because it's a fun thing to do, but it was out of necessity,” Sowry said.
The poisoned buffalo carcass and the 86 vultures were set alight after an investigation while two vultures were sent to rehabilitation.
The site is marked by black-and-white ash, with some of the vulture bones still visible. It’s only been a few weeks, but the stench of the burnt flesh fills the air. Kokwani assured us that the area was now safe from poison.
ALSO READ: Animal poisoning sparks fear in national park
Regional ranger, Don English said they had seen a rise in poison poaching and “it is indiscriminate”.
“Anything coming into contact with that poisoned carcass is going to die – from insects to the biggest of predators. It has escalated concerningly over the last few years,” he said.
English explained that snare poaching started off for muthi purposes, with traditional healers using the body parts of vultures and lions – fat, skin, nails, floating bone in a lion – for medicinal purposes.
“That extended to the eastern countries and the demand and pressure grew,” he said.
When asked how his journey began, Kokwani said grew up close to the national park.
“My village is neighbouring the park on the western side near Phalaborwa. We grew up as cattle herders, looking after cattle and so one. So being a person from the bush and looking after cattle, when I heard about Kruger, I said I want to be one of the employees there,” he recalled.
He joined the park in 1994 and “they gave me this job of looking after animals – conservation”. He went on to study to be a national conservationist, thanks to his passion and love for nature.
The father of five said he would be happy to assist the park in anyway even after retirement.
“If the park wants me to be their whatever outside, I’d be happy to represent them. To tell villagers to look after the animals and say, ‘those animals are yours, Kruger National Park is also your asset’.
“We have to look after, and conserve it for future generations,” he said.
“I’m a ranger and will die a ranger. I’m proud of this!”
