Rangers from SA National Parks were engaged in gun battles with suspected poachers in Kruger National Park.
The Department of Environmental Affairs said a SANParks helicopter came under fire five times from suspected poachers on Wednesday.
Department spokesperson, Albi Modise, said in three operations involving SANParks Rangers and the police, contact was made with the poachers in three sections of the park including the southern parts of Kruger which had borne the brunt of poaching in general.
"In three operations involving members of the SANParks Rangers, SAPS Airwing and K9 Units, contact was made in all three sections with groups of suspected poachers. The incidents took place in three separate sections of the southern part of the Kruger National Park that has borne the brunt of poaching," he said.
"Fortunately, quick action by all the team members involved averted a catastrophe and the helicopter managed to land with all the crew on board safe. Four poachers have been arrested and three firearms, ammunition and poaching equipment recovered at the three contact scenes. Follow up investigations involving the SAPS are underway."
Modise said the Minister of Environmental Affairs Edna Molewa had congratulated SANParks and law-enforcement authorities for their sterling work in averting a catastrophe.
"We are proud of the work done by our Rangers, the Management and Leadership of SANParks as well as all law enforcement agencies, particularly at the Kruger National Park.
This multi-disciplinary, multi-sectoral approach involves collaboration between the SAPS, the SANDF, the intelligence community, SANParks, border and customs officials, Environmental Management Inspectors (EMI's) and the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA)."
Modise said "the apprehension of the suspected poachers was the result of a joint operation by these teams involving the Joint Mission Operations Center (JMOC) launched by President Zuma last year. The operationalization of the JOC has enabled faster reaction time and more proactive operations by the anti-poaching teams inside the Kruger National Park (KNP).
The Department of Environmental Affairs said that in the first four months of this year 363 rhinos were poached in South Africa, and of these 232 were killed in the KNP, that has the largest population of the species living in the wild. However, as recently announced, we realized a decline by the end of last year, and in the first quarter of this year.
