Pangolin trafficking in the Bronkhorstspruit area in Gauteng is at an all-time high.

That is evident as in September alone, three of these animals were rescued in the Bronkhorstspruit and Cullinan area. A number of court cases in which pangolin traffickers are being prosecuted are also underway in both the Bronkhorstspruit Regional Court and the Cullinan Regional Court.

Professor Ray Jansen, a renowned expert on African pangolins, told Streeknuus that the high prices fetched in Asian countries, especially China, are driving this illegal trade.

“In 2019, 97 tons of scales were exported.”

Jansen said mostly destitute people are driven to commit these crimes as word on the street is that they can make large sums of money.

“Pangolins form part of the Threatened or Protected Species legislation (TOPS) which regulates the use of species which are threatened with extinction. This legislation aims to ensure the survival of the species within the wild,” said Jansen.

He is currently testifying in a case court case against pangolin peddlers in Cullinan who were caught with pangolin in their possession. This animal did not survive the ordeal.

Pangolins are protected by the National Environment Management: Biodiversity Act. Should this act be transgressed, a prison sentence of 10 years or a fine of up to R10m can be imposed.

In the most recent incident, a team comprising members of the police, the CNI Domestic Drug Trafficking Head Office, the Germiston Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit, the K9 units from Pretoria and East Rand and the IUCN SSC Pangolin Specialist Group (a private institution) worked together to arrest a smuggler.

The team received information on September 27 about a man who wanted to sell a pangolin in his possession. The man asked for a large sum of money and was looking for a potential buyer.

Members of the Serious Organised Crime Investigation Unit Germiston obtained a section 252A order which allowed agents to use traps or to engage in undercover operations to prevent, detect or investigate the commission of an offence.

After gaining the suspect’s trust, a meeting was arranged between the potential buyer and the suspect for the following day.

A team member, under the guise of a potential buyer, arrived at 13:00 at the Jan Ellis filling station in Rayton on September 28. The suspect arrived 30 minutes later in a truck.

After the agent established that the pangolin was in the truck, the Zimbabwean national was arrested and charged at Cullinan Police Station for possession of and illegally trading in endangered animals.

The young pangolin was seized and taken for medical observation and treatment. In another case, four men were arrested in Bronkhorstspruit on September 15.

With the necessary information in hand thanks to clandestine work, the task team identified the suspects’ vehicle. The K9 unit pulled over a taxi and found two Temminck’s pangolins tied and confined.

The animals were confiscated and sent for medical treatment at the Johannesburg Wildlife Veterinary Hospital. One of the animals was a pregnant adult female while the other is a sub-adult male.

According to officials, the suspects refused to explain why they had the pangolins and exercised their right to remain silent.

Their cellphones were confiscated and sent for further investigation.

Police units that worked with the task team to capture the culprits were the Cullinan Stock Theft and Endangered Species Unit and the Benoni K9 unit.

In the meantime, another case is being heard in the Bronkhorstspruit Regional Court where two alleged traffickers are awaiting trial.