Media Release: Animal casualty not a result of a controlled fire The South African National Parks (SANParks) would like to refute claims that a fire which injured a young elephant and possibly a rhino, in the Kruger National Park (KNP) recently, was part of the controlled fires currently being administered in the park. This according to Dr Freek Venter, General Manager Conservation Management in the KNP, who said this was as a result of a runaway fire that jumped over the border from Mozambique into the KNP. “A south easterly wind created adverse conditions which resulted in a fast moving fire on the day.” He said the smoke from this type of fire sometimes overcomes animals and confuses them resulting in burns and injuries. “With regards to controlled fires, SANParks has a strict Fire Danger Index guideline, which indicates when it is safe to administer controlled burns and KNP is no exception.” Venter confirmed that the badly burned elephant had to be put down and investigations are being carried out with regards to the injured rhino. SANParks would like to thank the visitors who notified the authorities about this incident and encourages this kind of reporting. Issued by: South African National Parks Corporate Communications
Posted on: Mon, 15 Jul 2013 18:54:43 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015