JOHANNESBURG, May 10 (Xinhua) -- Five suspected rhino poachers were killed on Saturday night in a shootout with police in South Africa's KwaZulu-Natal Province, police said on Sunday.

KwaZulu-Natal police spokesperson Robert Netshiunda said police launched a stop-and-search operation in the Hluhluwe area after receiving intelligence that a group of suspects would travel along the R618 road near a game reserve.

A shootout broke out after the suspects arrived at a police roadblock, he said, adding that five suspects were fatally wounded. A hunting rifle fitted with a silencer and two pistols were recovered at the scene. No police officers were injured in the incident.

The shootout took place near the Hluhluwe-iMfolozi Park, one of South Africa's key rhino conservation areas. The park has played a major role in the recovery of the southern white rhino population, but it has long faced persistent poaching threats.

In February, the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment said the country recorded a 16-percent year-on-year decline in rhino poaching in 2025, reflecting progress in efforts to combat poaching and illegal wildlife trafficking. In KwaZulu-Natal Province, rhino poaching cases dropped sharply from 232 in 2024 to 97 in 2025. ■