Wildlife Protection:

Three Arraigned in Court for Trafficking Wildlife Products

Three traffickers at the wildlife office in Douala

Three traffickers shall again take to the stands at the Bonanjo court of first instance on November 23 to answer to charges of illegal possession and circulation of thousands of wildlife products. They were arrested with 158 ivory tusks, over 1000kg of pangolin scales 124 parrot heads and over 1300 parrot feathers a year ago as they were loading the contraband on board a truck that was heading to Nigeria.

                The operation was carried out at the Bois de Singes neighbourhood in Douala by the police mobile intervention unit (GMI) following investigations that provided enough evidence of the activities of the three according to a source close to the case who spoke on condition of anonymity. The debates had been going on in the case that shall be heard for the 10th time and a wildlife law enforcement body LAGA is technically assisting wildlife officials in the follow-up of the matter. Witnesses shall to take the stands during the hearing to testify in the case that may soon draw to an end.

               

Bags of pangoliin scales seized in Douala

According to the wildlife law, anyone found in possession of part or whole of a protected wildfire species is considered to have killed or captured the animal and could face an imprisonment term of up to 3 years. The destination of the products and the quantities involved point to a very organized business that use Douala as a collection centre for products sourced from different parts of the country.

                The variety of products, in such huge quantities is equally very unusual because when dealing in bulks, traffickers generally have a single product, according to wildlife law enforcement experts, who say there is a probable link between ivory and pangolin scales trafficking. Ivory traffickers are taking advantage of their long-groomed skills in handling big consignments to engaging in pangolin scales trafficking that warrants load management skills. The expertise needed in concealing and transporting ivory is clearly adapted to handling of pangolin scales.

                Surge in prices of pangolin scales in Asian markets is attracting ivory traffickers into the scales business.  Some ivory traffickers have shifted into pangolin scales trafficking or simply included scales trafficking to their portfolio. This can only be extremely bad news for law enforcement agencies because ivory traffickers are among the most sophisticated in the business and very difficult to investigate and arrest.