Rangers strike at S. Africa’s poaching-hit Kruger

William Mabasa said Tuesday that 181 of the park’s 400 rangers had been on strike since Friday. He says soldiers and police have been filling in, and now retired rangers will help.

Mabasa says that in talks since June, some rangers have argued employees in similar positions should be paid similar salaries. He says talks deadlocked, leading to the strike.

Mabasa says that while management recognizes the rangers have the right to strike, he hopes they will soon return to work in a park hard hit by rhinoceros poaching.

Last year, a record 448 rhinos were poached in South Africa, more than half in Kruger.