Anti-poaching hero reflects on three decades of security work

Nicky Erasmus's firm kept perlemoen thieves, rhino killers and drug dealers on their toes in Nelson Mandela Bay. Now new opportunities await.

- By Riaan Marais

Nicky Erasmus (46) recently took to social media to announce his departure from a long career in fighting perlemoen poaching in Nelson Mandela Bay and surrounds.

Since then, Erasmus has been inundated with messages — some of praise and support for his contribution to conservation and others of relief from the more brazen criminal elements he fought.

“The post was barely up when I got the first message from a person whom I helped to arrest, telling me how happy he was to see me go. Some guys sent me some very sarcastic messages that they were going to miss me,” the former operations director of Dark Water Ops said, laughing.

Their reactions, and the audacity of the poaching community, are just one symptom of the many challenges Erasmus has faced over the three decades he has been involved in conservation and anti-poaching.

Sitting in a coffee shop in Gqeberha, the soft-spoken giant cuts an imposing figure. And it was humbling to see him become teary-eyed when asked about his decision to leave behind his passion for law enforcement and conservation.

“This has been my life, my passion, since I was a teenager. It was instilled in me by my father, and the thrill of the chase, the investigations and the resulting arrests have become addictive. Leaving this behind is one of the toughest decisions I have ever made, but an opportunity has come my way that I simply cannot pass up on.”

Starting young