Five in dock for poaching, possession of endangered animal

Three suspects arrested for conspiracy to commit poaching and two for possession of endangered animals were expected to appear in the Louis Trichardt Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday after being arrested on Sunday.
Provincial Police Spokesperson Moatshe Ngoepe said the suspects were arrested during an intelligence driven operation in Makhado. “The Police received information about three suspects making their way to a farm just outside town possibly with poaching as motive. Police reacted quickly on the tip-off from the community and traced the suspects aged 28, 29 and 72 several kilometres from the farm,” Ngoepe said.
In the meantime Police also arrested two suspects aged 24 and 29 for possession of two live pangolins.
“We recovered the two animals and confiscated a rifle with 11 live rounds of ammunition during the arrests,” Ngoepe said. Investigation continues.
Ground pangolins are under the top ten animals on the red list of endangered species. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora aim is to ensure that international trade in specimens of wild animals and plants does not threaten their survival and during the recent Conference of the Parties conference in Sandton, Johannesburg a proposal was made that the pangolin be moved from Appendix 2 to Appendix 1 which means it is categorised as a species threatened with extinction and that trade in these species is permitted only in exceptional circumstances.

Story: RC Myburgh
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Featured photo: One of two live pangolins which were recovered during an arrest in Makhado on Sunday. Two suspects were arrested.