The Bushcat takes to the air again
With poaching threats escalating constantly, the arrival of the Bushcat has been welcomed enthusiastically by Project Rhino KZN.
(Chairman of the African Conservation Trust – legal owners of the aircraft),
Sheelagh Antrobus (Project Rhino KZN Co-ordinator), Francois du Toit
(CEO of the African Conservation Trust) and pilot Etienne Gerber
THE Zululand Anti-Poaching Wing (ZAP-Wing) has taken delivery of its brand-new Bushcat aircraft, which landed at the Hluhluwe base.
They could then again start aerial surveillance patrols for 17 private game reserves in the Zululand region.
With poaching threats escalating constantly, the arrival of the Bushcat has been welcomed enthusiastically by Project Rhino KZN members, who cover the costs of fixed-wing aerial surveillance for private rhino owners.
Project Rhino KZN also maintains the Hluhluwe airfield as an anti-poaching operations base for the northern KZN region.
The Bushcat’s operational area will extend from Hluhluwe to the Swaziland border.
It is decked in olive green and its ‘tail-dragger’ configuration will allow pilot Etienne Gerber to land and take off from bush runways.
It has been fitted with mission-specific equipment including an EFIS (electronic flight information system) and live satellite tracking.
