Nov 24 2011 7:46AM

Noted vet held on rhino poaching charges

De Wet Potgieter

A world renowned game veterinarian and former head of the Kruger Park’s game capturing unit, Dr Douw Grobler, was last week held on charges relating to rhino poaching.

He was arrested at his house in Skuitbaai outside Port Elizabeth last Wednesday as a result of investigations against controversial professional hunter and game farmer, Hugo Ras.

Grobler was escorted back to Gauteng where he appeared in the Pretoria North Magistrate’s Court on Thursday. No charges were put to him and he was released on R5000 bail after the case was postponed to February 28 for further investigation.

According to a reliable source close to the investigation, Grobler’s arrest relates to the alleged illegal distribution of scheduled veterinary drugs, such as game-catching tranquillisers, popularly used by poachers to dart rhino for their horn.

Ras, 37, the former owner of Ras Safaris, was arrested in his plush Magalieskruin house in Pretoria in August this year.

Several members of the police, the Hawks and SARS took part in the raid, which resulted in an illegal firearm and five crates of scheduled veterinary drugs being confiscated. Ras, who has several previous convictions related to nature conservation transgressions, was released on R5000 bail in the same court in August.

During his tenure at the Kruger National Park, Grobler’s responsibilities included various relocation projects involving elephants, rhino and disease-free buffalo to Namibia, Malawi, Botswana, the US, Singapore, New Zealand and Australia.

In an illustrious veterinary career, he also raised donations for new capture trucks and equipment, and for a modern research complex at Skukuza.

dewetp@thenewage.co.za