I think I’ll just leave this Unpopular Opinion Puffin pic here:
…and go and get a nice coffee.
Seriously though, when did it become ok to completely ignore the Constitution in this regard?
Yes, rhinos are endangered. Yes, poaching of rhinos is a terrible thing. You may even think that alleged poachers should face the death penalty for their part in the whole thing.
But, sadly for you, all of that is actually immaterial. Because that’s not what the Constitution says.
Or perhaps you think that the Constitutional rights of the poachers should be ignored in these cases?
But you’ll still want your Constitutional rights upheld at all costs, right?
Thought so.
Oh, interesting, considering all the poaching issues I’ve had over the last two days. Witnessing the indiscriminate killing of livestock and game because of traps, and the wounded animals because of illegal hunting, one can become very emotional fast. And to add to the frustrations, when poachers enter your farm fully armed – liked they do – they certainly present more than an idle threat. Poachers are shot when they take potshots at law enforcement, which includes the local security structures on farms. It’s a bit extreme to simply shoot them for poaching without justified provocation, but one things for sure, when you are armed, often with semi-automatic and AK-47’s, and caught on private poverty without permission, wearing camouflage, you’re not there to wish the neighbors well. From my short experience with this issue, I doubt very much that poachers are just murdered in cold blood simply because they shot a rhino.They usually resist capture, and violently so.
I think Emil has it right. From what I understand, the game rangers merely return fire when shot at, and seem to just be better at hitting their targets than the poachers, who seem to only be able to hit something that’s three quarters the size of a house, and then only from close range…
gmross > Perhaps I don’t have it right, but who gave these “game rangers” the right to kill? Not even the police have that, despite all the Bheki Cele bluster.