Cracking down on illegal wildlife trading
FOUR live sharks, a live pangolin, 700kg of abalone, and ivory and rhino horn were seized during the Department of Environmental Affairs’ (DEA) Operation Thunderstorm.
It followed an INTERPOL Wildlife Crime Working Group which had, in Singapore in 2017, discussed the month-long global operation against illegal trade in wildlife and timber.
Among the seizures worldwide were 43 tons of wild meat including bear, elephant, crocodile, whale and zebra; 1.3 tons of raw and processed elephant ivory; 27 000 reptiles including 869 alligators/crocodiles, 9 590 turtles, 10 000 snakes; and almost 4 000 birds including pelicans, ostriches, parrots and owls.
In South Africa, the Directorate for Priority Crime Investigations, SARS Customs, the Environmental Management Inspectorate, SANParks, provincial conservation authorities and the Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry law enforcement officers participated in the operation.
Four endangered spotted ragged tooth sharks, also known as the Sand tiger shark, were confiscated at Cape Town International Airport during an inspection of a container holding the consignment.
“The sharks were seized after it was determined that they were being exported without the required permits, in terms of the Marine Living Resources Act and the Marine Threatened or Protected Species Regulations,” the DEA said in a statement yesterday.
A total of 13 people were arrested during Operation Thunderstorm.
Mandla Mashele, 37, and Kelvin Malapane, 38, were arrested for illegally buying rhino horns, contravention of Endangered Species Regulations, racketeering and money laundering; while another two suspects were arrested for the illegal possession of elephant ivory by customs officials at the Ramatlabama Border Post, between South Africa and Botswana.
“Two men were arrested in Daveyton by the Hawks, SANParks and the Environmental Management Inspectorate of the Department of Environmental Affairs for allegedly dealing in rhino horn.”
Six men were arrested in Pretoria for the illegal possession of a Pangolin, while three men were arrested in Walkerville for the unlawful possession of 700kg of abalone valued at R3.5 million.
“Members of the Green Scorpions, customs officials and Fisheries Control Officers of DAFF rummaged a ship in Durban harbour, while ad hoc tailgate and container searches were also done in the harbour,” the DEA said.