A 53-year-old man, Vincent Eric Lengwati, was fined R2 500 on Wednesday December 28 after pleading guilty to being in possession of monkey meat, hyena meat, three dried crocodile skins and a fresh, unskinned crocodile carcase.

The crocodile carcase was found inside a refrigerator at Dumphries C near Thulamahashe outside Bushbuckridge. Lengwati paid the fee as an admission of guilt.

ALSO READ: The fascination of our great allies, bats

According to the police, some members of the public had notified the authorities about somebody in possession of wild game. Upon arrival at the scene, the Mhala SAPS and Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency discovered the contraband items.

Lengwati was arrested for contravention of Section 27, Act 10 – 1998 of the Mpumalanga Nature Conservation Act that prohibits the receipt, possession or handling of dead game.

ALSO READ: SANParks rangers rescue baby elephant

The provincial commissioner of the SAPS in Mpumalanga, Lieutenant General Semakaleng Manamela, has warned members of the public to refrain from breaking the law and encouraged citizens to partake in the conservation of nature for future generations.

“Our concern is that some of these wild animals, like certain parts of the crocodile, could be very poisonous to human beings. We caution the public against hunting or being in possession of these species,” Manamela said.