It was a very early start on Friday August 26, leaving Skukuza at 04:30, to capture two elephant bulls in the Crocodile Bridge section. The elephants are destined for the Zululand Rhino Reserve at Mkuze in KwaZulu Natal. After a successful capture, led by Peter Buss (air) and Marius Kruger (ground crew), and assisted by Neels van Wyk, section ranger, the bulls left the capture area shortly before 09h00.
The two bulls will join six elephants captured and translocated a week before. The first group was all females and comprised two adults, one sub-adult, one juvenile and two very young calves. Also attending the capture was Sandy Paterson of the South African Bureau of Standards.
Paterson is putting together standards and procedures relating to game captures and translocations. Several tourists stumbled upon the operation and were fascinated as they watched the spectacle.
As each elephant went to the ground, the ground crew moved in swiftly to secure its airways where needed. Both bulls' tusks and trunks were measured and blood samples drawn. The capture team fitted a collar to the second bull, finalising yet another successful capture for the SANParks team.
