Pangolin suspects granted bail Yuefei Shen and Stanislaus Limwaya who were arrested on Sunday when they were found in possession of three live pangolins appeared before magistrate John Sindano yesterday and their case was postponed to 29 November to allow further investigations.The two were arrested following a tipoff.
They are being charged with illegal possession of protected and endangered species.
Shen and Limwaya made their first appearance at the Walvis Bay Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday.
Prosecutor Faith Nyaungwa did not oppose bail and informed the court that the accused could be handed penalties of between N$150 and N$250 if found guilty.
Sindano released the accused on N$3 000 each which both paid. Pangolins are listed as a protected species in Namibia under the Nature Conservation Ordinance of 1975 and as such, it is illegal to catch, kill or possess pangolins or their scales. The animals are believed to be the most trafficked species in the world.
They are hunted and eaten in many African countries and regarded by healers as a source of traditional medicine.
They are also in great demand in Southern China and Vietnam because their meat is considered a delicacy while some people believe that pangolin scales have medicinal values.
Of the eight species of pangolin, four species are listed as vulnerable, two species are listed as endangered, and two species are listed as critically endangered on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species.
OTIS FINCK