Authorities in South Africa handed a steep prison sentence to a man convicted of poaching at a famous game reserve and national park.
South African National Parks officials celebrated the 17-year sentence imposed on Mbongeni Ngobeni for killing a rhinoceros. The sentence was handed down by the Skukuza Regional Court, SANParks said in a notice.
Kruger National Park authorities said the crime occurred in June 2016.
“The accused was arrested by field rangers who followed up on gunshots that were heard,” SANParks said. They said an investigation led them to Ngobeni’s capture. Two accomplices escaped, officials said.
Ngobeni was rearrested after he jumped bail in 2019.
The endangered rhinos of Kruger National Park are under constant threat from poachers.
Last year, a former park ranger who once worked at Kruger was given a 10-year prison sentence for killing a rhino and trying to cover it up.
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