A ranger who was working at Liwonde National Park, has died after being severely beaten by a mob of villagers living near the park while he was in line of duty.

Director of Parks and Wildlife Brighton Kumchedwa, has confirmed this to YFM online  saying the deceased, identified as Given Gondwe, was part of the law enforcement operation squad which together with the police officers, was sent to apprehend a suspect alleged to have killed a rhino from the park and was possessing its horn.

He said in the course of the operation, the squad faced resistance from the villagers and as a result Gondwe was captured and heavily assaulted.

He was taken to Ntaja hospital where he died while receiving treatment.

Kunchedwa said: “In the process of apprehending the suspect, some members of the community descended on our team and unfortunately three of our officers were caught and beaten severely a development which also led to the death of Gondwe.”

When asked on the safety of park rangers in general, Kumchedwa admitted that the officers’ lives is usually at risk as sometimes they encounter armed poachers and they exchange gun fire leading to injury or death of some officers.

However, he said the recent incident which led to the death of Gondwe, is the first to be experienced as it has occurred outside the park.

Kumchedwa has described the late Gondwe, who was employed by the African Parks, as “a hard working young man who had a bright future and is unfortunate that his future has been prematurely terminated by a gang of criminals.”