A game Ranger is caught by poachers when she tries to retrieve a drone
August 24/2017 00:43 Hrs. Bush country in the Kruger National Park
The hyenas were getting closer by the second, but being tied spreadeagled to stakes on the ground I could do nothing about it.In the near distance a roar from a lion, praying to god it’s a male lion and not a hunting female.Off in the far distance the drone of a motor hopefully coming to rescue me from my predicament.
If only I had listened to Pieter and waited for the other guys to return from the big rugby match in Johannesburg before going to retrieve the drone I was using to track the first sighting in five years of a family of Black Rhino in the quadrant directly east of the Giriyondo Gate.The data the drone had collected was too invaluable to be lost! But no, I had to be stubborn and retrieve it myself , proving I wasn’t just the token female only able to look after guests! Look where that attitude got me; raped by poachers, staked out bleeding to attracting whatever predator that wanted a fast meal!
“How’s the search for that elusive Rhino family coming?” Pieter Van Zyl standing over my right shoulder asked as I watched the footage from the drone I had sent out. At six foot one inch, Pieter easily could see for himself, hell he’s got six inches on me.
“What, dust in your eyes?” snickering at him. “I found and have been following them for the last hour!” I gloated, ultra proud of myself, knowing this one tracking will make the drone program an unqualified success. On screen the big male comes into view, momentarily emerging from under a tree before retreating back under.
“Christ you actually found it!” rest his large hand on my shoulder before patting it twice. “I take it back maybe we should employ drones in the bush!” adding his own vision to my pet project “Just think of how many poachers we could catch and convict!”
“Hey, piggyback your ideas onto someone else’s project!” Looking up at him, laughing as he just armed me with more ammunition as to why the board should invest in my drone idea. My eyes return back to the screen as it goes suddenly black. I immediately hit the button activating the tracking system, getting a steady bing on the monitor.
“Damn girl, don’t look now but something just took out your little toy!” Pieter jumps back as I leap to my feet, kicking the chair out from under me and lunge for the door.
“Candi, where you going girl?” Pieter yells
I don’t reply as I run towards the check in desk, grabbing a set of keys for one of the two range rovers reserved in case of emergency.
“Candi you’re not going out there alone!”
I don’t heed Pieter’s warning as I hop into the rover and start the engine. Grabbing my smartphone I open the tracking program for the drone. I breathe a huge sigh of relief as the screen shows a blue blinking circle roughly twenty kilometers west of here. Great only fifteen kilometers from the Giriyondo Gate. Inserting the coordinates into my Range Rovers GPS unit, I back up with my wheels throwing up cloud of dust
“Candice Verway don’t you dare drive off from here until you have backup!”
Ignoring Pieter I pull out and drive off taking a direct route towards the coordinates. I can still hear his last words ringing in my ears “At least tell me where you’re off to!”
August 23/2017 19:16 Hrs The Bush, 25 kilometer from Boulder Lodge
Rood Hullette motioned the two men with him to spread out as they stalk the family of rhinos. The three separate to triangulate their shots trying to ensure a successful hit . Just as the rhino calf appears, a flying black object comes into view above the tree. Johan MacLean drops his dart gun, pulls out his Blackhawk magnum pistol from his waist holster and fires several shots at the flying black object.
Just as suddenly as it had appeared the object falls to the ground. At the sound of the shots the calf turns and plunges back into the safety of the bush. Hullett and DiMarco hastily fire their darts but miss as the calf disappears from view. Cursing MacLean bellowed. “What in the name of fucking hell did you do that for?”
“That fucking drone I spotted earlier came back!” MacLean defended his action. “I tell you the fucking rangers knows we’re out here!” moving forwards retrieving the now scrap metal drone. Picking it up holding it out for the other two to see “See, the thing got a fucking camera!” Dropping it back on the ground “Bet the fucking rangers are on their way to retrieve the goddamn thing as we speak!”
“Fucking shit as if trying to shoot that fucking baby rhino isn’t enough, now the fucking rangers know we’re out here!” he mumbles retrieving the destroyed drone. Picking it up, he shows it to the other two. See the fucking thing got a camera” he states dropping it back to the ground. “Bet the fucking rangers are on the way to retrieve the goddamn thing as we speak!”
One of the other, a burly man names Oscar Dimarco inspects the wreckage with disdain. “Fucking shit as if trying to shoot that fucking baby rhino, isn’t enough now the fucking rangers are on our ass as well!” spitting out a mouthful of phlegm “Rood a quarter of a million isn’t worth it!”
“Shut up Oscar, we’ll deal with one thing at a time!” Hullette snaps then turns to MacLean “so how long do you think we have before the rangers show up?”
“At best I say about an hour! Only a fool would drive full out with darkness falling!”
Hullett took that into account, “Alright let’s take care of the damn ranger first then we get back to tracking those Rhinos!” Hulette instructed, retrieving a net from their vehicle and then returning to address the other two, “well help me set a trap for the rangers!”
“Okay why don’t we hide in the bush across from that drone and take the rangers with a well placed dart as they inspect the damages drone from behind!”
Hulette nods in agreement and picks up the drone, tossing it into the bush area where the baby rhino fled earlier. Returning to the other two, he pointing where each man should hide . The three settle in waiting for the rangers to come collect their damaged drone
August 23/2017 20:45 hrs 15 Kilometer from Giriyondo Gate
Check the GPS screen finding out that I’m on top of the last known position of the drone. Parking the Range Rover, finally noticing that I never turned on the two way radio, oh well now would be too late for Pieter to do anything besides the safari of tourists should have return to the lodge by now so he would be up to his neck in whiny tourists.
Getting out grabbing the mag-lite, the two way walkie talkie from the side door panel, and a side arm which I hope I will never have to use from the glove compartment I set out to find the drone. With my phone in my right hand, I grab a machete from the back seat area and set off, Rustling from the bush catches my attention raising the machete, on alert I take two steps back only to have a wild dog pup darts out then turn around and bolt back! Shining the beam into where it disappeared, seeing nothing, continuing on with my search.
Letting out the breath I was holding, getting the general idea just what a stupid stunt I’ve done by coming out here at this time of night. Looking into the purplish twilight sky seeing the darkened silhouette of a crane cross the nighttime sky. In the distance the roar of a lion, remind me just how dangerous the Kruger National Park could be at times.
Concentrating the bush looking for any sign that something might have fell on the top of one. Swinging the flashlight ‘s beam left and right.
Stopping taking out my cell phone to check the time, in the upper right hand corner showing 20:53 Hrs as I move forwards searching left and right for any signs of the downed drone.
When I’m about 50 meters from the Rover, I find the first piece of the drone on the path in front of me. Shining the mag-lite left and right, continuing further away from the Rover I hear more rustling in the bush to my right, just as the mag-lite’s bam comes across the damaged drone. Going to collect it I turn my back on the bush, as my hand touches the drome what little light the flashlight was producing goes black. A stinging sensation in my lower thigh then I start to feel weak, as a pair of hand grabs my arms and a cloth bag it pulled over my head. A muffled “Got em! Ruud!” Something cold is then wrapped around my arms effectively pinning my arms, making it impossible to fight off the hands
Next thing I experienced was wha ever was binding my arm being taken away and replaced and me being held up, each arm pulled to opposite sides. Something strong and tight pressing against the wrist fabric of my bush jacket, then my legs being widen and something strong and just as tight being wrapped around my stocking legs just above my ankle. Whatever is over my head if pulled off and I’m
blinded by the light coming from a ultrabright spotlight shining in my eyes
“Christ Maclean I thought you said the rangers were going to come after us!” As Hullete spit a phlegm ball out of his mouth “ It’s no ranger it’s a woman!” admiring her lines of her face. “Damn fine looking one at that!” As my vision adjusts I can make out the shape of two black blobs in front of me. I feel a pair of hands grab the front of my khaki bush jacket , pulling it taunt until the buttons pop and it tears open revealing the white sport bra underneath. A hand grabs the front of my sport bra pulling it away from my skin, something cold, metallic pierces touches my skin before I being split apart, then the straps being cut and my sport bra falls to the ground in front of me
Struggling to get free, feeling the cool night air on my bare skin of my stomach, through my jacket the feel of something hard in the middle of my back, realizing I’m tied to the tailgate of an open truck I hear one speak.
“Fuck look at those tits!” a hand cupping me left breast from below, pushing it up. The cool night air flowing onto the tanned pinkish areolas making my nipples jut out! “Damn looking at those nipples just begging to be sucked!” MacLean blurts out
“Leave her until she tell us where the others are?” Hullete come to me, holding a knife to my throat tracing it down my neck to the top of my right breast “Well, where are they?” pressing the edge of the blade into my nipple.