KNP marks World Ranger Day
The Kruger National Park held a ceremony to honour of the ranger corps - both the living and those who were injured or killed in the line of duty.
|||Kruger National Park - Kruger National Park (KNP) management and staff members held a ceremonial event in honour of the ranger corps - the living and those who were injured or killed in the line of duty - to mark World Ranger Day on Sunday.
“The idea is to acknowledge that our rangers are an important component of the organisation’s staff compliment, which is to combat wildlife crime and to maintain the integrity of this national park. Despite the recent ranger arrests in the KNP, we want to urge our entire anti-poaching team to continue to maintain the good reputation that they are renowned for and not allow actions of a few to derail them from keeping focussed,” KNP managing executive Glenn Phillips said.
Activities included a guard of honour, wreath laying ceremony, rangers’ drill and formal proceedings. More celebrations were scheduled to take place on Monday, when a special sports day for rangers would take place at Letaba and another formal event in Skukuza.
There would also be talks aimed at mobilising the local communities to take part in addressing the issue of environmental crime.
“The job of a ranger, with all its associated dangers and sacrifices, is like a calling. It needs men and women who keep focus out there in the bush; and very few people have the courage and necessary skills to perform this important task other than rangers.
“We encourage everybody who understands what rangers face on a daily basis to rally behind them,” Phillips said.
African News Agency