Three men were arrested along the R556 Sun City Road in North West province for illegal possession of four leopard tortoises on Sunday, 8 March. The animals were rescued and taken to Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinarians for rehabilitation.
NSPCA Wildlife Protection Unit manager Douglas Wolhuter said that tortoise and chameleon trades are popular in the area and urged residents not to support these traders. ‘Instead, get it on video and send it to us – hopefully with an affidavit – and we will build those cases up,’ he told News24. ‘Without the buyers this trade wouldn’t exist.’
Wolhuter called for a prison sentence for the tortoise traders.
‘These offenders need to feel the full might of the justice system as they continue to disregard the laws of South Africa and the sentience of these creatures. We believe the only appropriate sentence is an extended prison sentence,’ he added.
‘The impact that this crime has is completely devastating, not only for the animals that are poached but for the entire wildlife population as well. This crime also involves innocent members of society – children are often used unknowingly to catch these animals and form part of this criminal activity; it is a crime that is destroying our natural heritage and society as a whole.
‘Wild animals belong in the wild,’ the NSPCA conclude in their statement.
Image: Getaway Gallery
