Accused pangolin smugglers in court Magistrate Vicky Nicolaidis has postponed a case of possession of endangered game against Yuefei Shen and Stanislaus Limwaya to 20 February 2017 for further investigation. The two accused had three live pangolins in their possession when they were arrested in Walvis Bay in October.
According to a reliable source, one of the accused was hired to transport the animals from Gobabis on behalf of two other men.
The accused made their first appearance before Magistrate John Sindano on 2 November. Prosecutor Faith Nyaungwa did not oppose bail and informed the court that the accused could be fined between N$150 and N$250 if found guilty.
Sindano set bail at N$3 000 for each of the accused and postponed the case to 29 November. The accused paid and were released on bail.
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 parts of Africa and are regarded by healers as a source of traditional medicine. The animals are also in great demand in China and Vietnam because their meat is considered a delicacy. It is also believed that pangolin scales have medicinal qualities.
Of the eight species of pangolin, four are listed as vulnerable, two 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