Rhino Poaching Rifles - What have you seen?

[deewayne2003]

While watching a documentary on the Bubye Valley Conservancy @16:08 they showed the captured rifle of a pair of Rhino poachers.

I was rather surprised to see what appears to be a relatively well made rifle with a silencer on it; because in the other documentaries I've seen the rifles tend to be rusted up and even held together with baling wire and other crude repairs.

My question is ... For those of you who have been involved with anti poaching patrols and such, what is the most common caliber/weapon used for Rhino and Elephant poaching?

Have you come across weapons that surprised you by their quality or lack their of?

 

[Muskox]

I would say considering how many white farmers have been killed, there are bound to be a few rifles stolen that look like that one.

 

[K-man]

Seen everything from a black powder rifle made under a shade tree by a blacksmith shooting filed down pieces of rebar to a clean and shiny, well-lubed AK 47. People will use whatever they can get their hands on. As they say in Africa, “make a plan”

 

[PerH]

Cartels behind poachers also supply terrorists , terrorists pay also cartels suppliers with both money and bones, hides and tusks of various game .

I remember the ruckus few years ago when they found a number of CZ550 in a captured poacher lair . And cryers wanted to know where the rifle came from and how they could be stopped from entering African areas again .

 

[Red Leg]

Mozambique - CZ - 375

RSA - CZ - 375

 

[ThreeJacks]

Very good video.

 

[Sarg]

That looks like a nice Sako ?

In South Africa a LOT of Brno 602 & CZ 550 & there was a push at one time to band them from new import, of course not necessarily now as discontinued.

I know one group of lesser connected Poachers used suppressed 8x57 & short .303 Brit .

We caught a couple with a very nice English sporter in .375 H&H, I will see if I can find a pic of it ?

Those home made guns are from village
Poachers, a lot are used to feed themselves or sell the meat to also feed them & their families, different beast to full time professionals in units, with support crew carrying Ak47s or such as back up !

 

[Odinsraven]

Last interaction ak47

 

[deewayne2003]

That looks like a nice Sako ?

In South Africa a LOT of Brno 602 & CZ 550 & there was a push at one time to band them from new import, of course not necessarily now as discontinued.

I know one group of lesser connected Poachers used suppressed 8x57 & short .303 Brit .

We caught a couple with a very nice English sporter in .375 H&H, I will see if I can find a pic of it ?

Those home made guns are from village
Poachers, a lot are used to feed themselves or sell the meat to also feed them & their families, different beast to full time professionals in units, with support crew carrying Ak47s or such as back up !

Reminds me of another video I had seen years ago when rangers caught a poacher with a new CZ550 in .458Win

The poachers middle management called the ranger station and literally said….

“I don’t give a damn about that man, but I want the rifle back and will give you $1,000 to drop it off on our side of the river.”

 

[Shako Badhan]

I was talking with a Kenyan who had his 458 temporarily seized a few years ago. Someone had been poaching elephants with one so they seized every 458 on license in the country.

It’s probably not a coincidence that the Kenyan Wildlife Service were issued 458s…

 

[Hunter-Habib]

While watching a documentary on the Bubye Valley Conservancy @16:08 they showed the captured rifle of a pair of Rhino poachers.

View attachment 695033

I was rather surprised to see what appears to be a relatively well made rifle with a silencer on it; because in the other documentaries I've seen the rifles tend to be rusted up and even held together with baling wire and other crude repairs.

My question is ... For those of you who have been involved with anti poaching patrols and such, what is the most common caliber/weapon used for Rhino and Elephant poaching?

Have you come across weapons that surprised you by their quality or lack their of?

A lot of Muzzle loaders (mostly locally made but also a few old English made & Belgian made ones which must have entered Africa during the 1800s)

A lot of cut down 12 gauge shotguns (with hand loaded shells employing lead round balls)

A few AK-47s

A couple of Lee Enfields

2 CZ 550s in .375 Holland & Holland Magnum

A really nice looking original Mauser Type A sporter in 10.75x68mm Mauser

I’m hardly surprised. The more well organized poachers are invariably supplied by the larger syndicates. I have it on good authority that more than a few large bore rifles confiscated from private citizens in Kenya after the 1977 hunting ban… ended up in the hands of poachers. No doubt, government officials were involved.

 

[Sarg]

A lot of Muzzle loaders (mostly locally made but also a few old English made & Belgian made ones which must have entered Africa during the 1800s)

A lot of cut down 12 gauge shotguns (with hand loaded shells employing lead round balls)

A few AK-47s

A couple of Lee Enfields

2 CZ 550s in .375 Holland & Holland Magnum

A really nice looking original Mauser Type A sporter in 10.75x68mm Mauser

I’m hardly surprised. The more well organized poachers are invariably supplied by the larger syndicates. I have it on good authority that more than a few large bore rifles confiscated from private citizens in Kenya after the 1977 hunting ban… ended up in the hands of poachers. No doubt, government officials were involved.

Strangely never caught, seen or even heard of a “Rhino” poacher with a Muzzle loader Black Powder rifle or even a Shotgun for that matter, I think way too under powdered & inaccurate for the purpose ?

Maybe way way back it was possible, when I was in Zimbabwe in the 80s you would hear of some being sprayed with 7.62x39, when there was still a largish wild population of Rhino, Elephants yes seems anything goes but Elephants are all over Africa still.

I would hazard a guess that 70+% of Rhino poached in the last 20-25yrs have been killed in SA ?

Now if you were asking about Poachers in general, then it would be massively 12ga Single Barrel shotgun & 30yrs back some quantity of homemade Muzzle Loads.

But the main scourge of Wildlife Worldwide is the wire snare, I truly hate them & the death/suffering the cause !!!

Ok found the photo.

 

[Lancaster]

Chinese made CZs gives some indication of one of the main sources of the scourge…

 

[Sarg]

Are you saying that China makes CZ rifle copies ?

That would be interesting.

 

[leslie hetrick]

why not, they copy every thing.

 

[TheGrayRider]

Good book on the illegal international wildlife trade. Very similar industry to the illegal drug trade.

Quite a few corrupt entities, people and governments out there. Wildlife and the peasant poachers always lose over time.

Happy (legal) hunting, TheGrayRider a/k/a Tom.

 

[deewayne2003]

Chinese made CZs gives some indication of one of the main sources of the scourge…

I haven’t heard of any Chinese big bore rifles being copied; although I would be interested to hear of them if anyone has first hand knowledge.

I know they have copied BRNO .22 rifles, Springfield M1A and Mausers.

 

[JvW]

In Zim, mostly AK's along with a few .303's. In RSA, CZ/Brno .375's and .458's, along with a recent manufacture Mauser in .416 Rigby that was taken from a now-deceased poacher that came out of Mozambique. The rifle was probably stolen from a safari camp in Mozambique.

 

[Lancaster]

Are you saying that China makes CZ rifle copies ?

That would be interesting.

So I was told in Africa but I'm not sure if they haven't just come via China to be honest

 

[Sarg]

So I was told in Africa but I'm not sure if they haven't just come via China to be honest

I don’t think the Chinese have copied the Big CZ/Brno at this stage, but I highly suspect that they helped provide a lot of them to the Teams .

There is or has been darn near ever other brand of firearm copied by them, some well made, some absolute rubbish also.

Heck if they made a copy of the ZKK 602 I would have a good look at one & THEN the poachers would no doubt have a supply !