The Police in Hoedspruit outside Phalaborwa have arrested five suspects for possession of protected species on the night of 24 July 2017 at about 18:25 in the Lebamba area near Hoedspruit.
It is alleged that the Police acted swiftly upon information received that a vehicle travelling from Acornhoek in the Mpumalanga Province enroute to Hoedspruit was transporting a Pangolin.
The vehicle was spotted on the same road and police instructed the driver to pull over and a search was conducted.
One live Pangolin was recovered and the Police ultimately arrested five suspect’s aged between 26 and 52. The suspects are from Malamulele near Giyani ,Lulekani near Phalaborwa and Tzaneen areas in Limpopo.
The Pangolin was taken to an animal enclosure in Hoedspruit.
The suspects will appear before the Hoedspruit Magistrate’s Court on 26 July 2017 on a charge of possession of protected species.
Police investigations continue.
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