A South African man was arrested by local police while supposedly trying to sell an endangered pangolin in Gravelotte, near the town of Tzaneen in eastern Limpopo province, local media reported.
The Hoedspruit Farmwatch, a local organization that combats farm theft, joined forces with several law enforcement agencies to arrest the suspect after receiving information about a possible illegal trade involving the endangered animal.
"The team received a tip-off about a suspect who was allegedly on the way to sell a pangolin in Hoedspruit. Without any waste of time, the team followed up on the information, and a suspicious vehicle was spotted in Gravelotte," Captain Matimba Maluleke, the spokesman for the police forces in Limpopo, narrated.
According to Maluleke, officials found a pangolin valued at R150,000 South African rand (about $7,720) in a bag hidden in the trunk of his car, for which the suspect did not have a permit.
The alleged pangolin dealer was immediately arrested and charged with unlawful trading of an endangered species. He is expected to appear in the Namakgale Magistrate Court.
Such incidents are not new to South Africa. In 2022, two people, including a police officer, were arrested and charged with illegally trading pangolins and violating the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act (NEMBA).
Pangolins, are small, scaly mammals found in Africa and Asia, and are unique because their scales are made of keratin, the same material as human hair and nails. There are eight different species of pangolin, four in Asia and four in Africa.
However, all eight species are either at risk of extinction or are critically endangered due to poaching for their meat, considered a delicacy in some Asian countries, and their scales, which are used in traditional Chinese medicine. In addition, habitat loss and degradation are serious threats to pangolins, and they are often caught in traps set for other animals.