The fight against poaching, especially of protected species, throughout Limpopo continues to yield positive results with the arrest of yet another alleged poacher, Limpopo police said on Sunday.
“This emanated from the arrest of a 28-year-old man which followed the arrest of his accomplice earlier for the unlawful hunting of specially protected species in the Alldays policing area outside Makhado,” Lt-Col Moatshe Ngoepe said.
The suspect would appear in the Bochum Magistrate’s Court next week. The two suspects were allegedly involved in the killing of a white lion on January 31, 2017, in one of the game lodges in the area after the poisoned meat was thrown into the lions’ enclosure. One lion ate the poisoned meat and died. The suspects cut off the paws, head, and even attempted to remove the skin of the lion before they fled the scene.
“Police were notified, reacted swiftly, and intensive investigations ensued until the first suspect was arrested, which was followed by the arrest of this second one, and the other two are still at large, but the police manhunt is still continuing,” Ngoepe said.
In a separate incident, in the Malamulele policing area near Giyani, two suspects, aged 31 and 40, were arrested by the Malamulele police in conjunction with the Hoedspruit Pro-Truck company for possession of a pangolin, another protected species. The suspects would appear in the Malamulele Magistrate’s Court soon. The police investigations on both cases were continuing, Ngoepe said.
– African News Agency (ANA)
