SANParks.org Forums

When visiting our National Parks it is clear that visitors blatantly ignore many basic rules. There is clearly not enough SANParks personnel to police the situation!

Should certain - well trained and qualified - Honorary Rangers, not be appointed to assist SANParks staff in keeping order? Should those specific Honorary Rangers not be able to fine transgressors?

What do you think?

Hi Imberbe ... you have a good idea here ...

SANParks officials cannot fine you unless they have the certification behind their name .... BUT having said that ... if you transgress the rules in the Park ... any Parks staff member has the fullest right to detain you until an official with the right certification comes and gives you the fine...

Maybe they should give the honorary Rangers the same rights as the officials who can detain you...

As a citizen of SA, you are allowed to make a citizens arrest in KNP



Are you sure about that?

Yip ... they are allowed to keep you right there and call for one of the traffic officials to come and fine you ...

I have met at least one extremely ignorant and rude Honorary Ranger - so, no I don't agree. Despite what he obviously thought, the Park is not there for just him to enjoy!

Rightly are wrongly, many of the Park staff take a more lenient view of 'minor transgressions' of the rules. A polite explanation of what is being done wrong will often work better than storming in and trying to fine someone.

As for trying to arrest someone - that will lead to real confrontation and possibly injury. Make a note of car number etc and report them if what they were doing warrants it.

Richard

Imberbe,

Thanks for a great post.

I believe that when the Honorary Rangers were first formed they did fulfil a rule enforcing role. When did this cease? I'm told it was because some of the Honorary Rangers were overstepping their authority and coming across in an unpleasant and authoritarian manner. Does anyone know more?

Despite the unpleasant experience of Richard and others I think there is certainly a role for the Honorary Rangers to play, but in an educatory manner. This will always carry more favour. Those HRs I've interacted with have done so when seeing fellow visitor indiscretion and been superb. There will be unruly and unrepentent visitors who don't respond to such peaceful efforts and perhaps an effective report back mechanism can be used. The gallery of shame on the photo gallery can surely play a greater role here.

Cheers

Bodge

I can believe that. People with a bit of authority often act like prats.

Giving honoury rangers "police" rights has enormous risks, in my view. A case in point, recently the Baviaanskloof has been started being "policed" by the Friends of the Baviaanskloof, a volunteer organization of folk mostly from conservation, 4x4 and mountain club backgrounds (as far as I can make out). Their intentions are without a doubt 110% honourable (excuse the pun) but the execution of the "management" of the wilderness area visitors is possibly questionable. We were last in the 'kloof about six weeks ago and were chastened by the lady manning the entrance to the kloof not stop anywhere except at the picnic site SHE CHOSE FOR US, not even on the road to look at plants or birds. It got up my nose a bit because almost the entire Baviaanskloof, which contains my family's original farm and home, lies on a proclaimed public road AND we were (as always) carrying an entry permit from the Eastern Cape Department of Nature Conservation.

It makes far more sense to me for funds to be raised to alloow the HRs to carry digital cameras so they can photograph transgressors and ensure they are appropriatelyfined.

To the best of my knowledge the HR's have never had any policing rights in the sence that they can fine a transgressor. They do have an education role, including educating people on the rules and reasons for those rules.

Of course it is correct that certain individuals can handle this role rudely or negativly! But as far as I know they are held by a strict code of conduct, and can be discharged should they mis-behave. The HR's also has to do certain courses and training, and are not just a collection of triger happy enthusiasts! Any HR that do play this policing-role should be specially chosen and trained to do it correctly!

I was in KNP for the past ten days. It is shocking to see the amount of people leaving their cars (next to a group of lion nogal), feeding animals and littering!

Something needs to be done!

What is the best option?

Currently??

Take a photo of the person who breaks the law. Get his Number Plate (photo with his number plate even better).

Send it to SANParks, as they are currently following up on all these issues and the photo goes into the "Gallery of Shame"

Do these photos actually help?

Are these people in fact fined? I am quite sceptical about this, as I have heard lots of promises but not heard about any actual fines handed out, or any other type of action taken! MAYBE THE KNP/SANPARKS SPOKESPERSON CAN ANSWER THIS?

The gallery of shame is a good, but verry limited idea. How many of the people that appear in these photos actually get to know about it? I tend to think it is only us nature enthusiast that see these photos in these nature type publications. Is there any real deterrend value, or are we only frustrating ourselves by having to look at these photos?

Perhaps if the Gallery of Shame pics were put up at the receptions and entry gates with the amount of the fine, people would take more notice.

Imbebe,

One of our Guru's (Goes by the name of : OWL) ... said that they do follow up ... (I'm too lazy to search for it now but WTM will now exactly where it is).

Let's look at it this way ... we all have our client numbers with SANParks ... if we provide the photo's with registration number, SANParks can go and place an alert on the clients account.

Then let's say if they catch him breaking the rules 3 times he / she get's banned from any SANParks Park in South Africa.

W@H and Imberbe, this is what I could find...



Also read this:
link1
link2
link3

Hope this answers the questions?

Regards
WTM.

Sharp my bru !!

That's the one I was thinking about ...