Trio held for porcupine poaching

THREE men were arrested when they were caught red-handed poaching porcupines at the Wolfgat Nature Reserve in False Bay, the Cape Town council said yesterday. “A rapid response by the city’s nature conservation staff led to the arrest of the three men who were hunting illegally in the Wolfgat Nature Reserve. They were accompanied by 18 hunting dogs, and three dead porcupines were found in a bag in their possession,” the council said. The three were taken to Mitchells Plain police station, where a case was opened against them. “The Grassy Park SPCA was contacted to collect the dogs,” it added. The council said illegal hunting of wild animals in nature reserves and protected areas was a persistent problem, and poaching was difficult to stop as it happened at all hours of the night. – ANA