Pangolin suspects get bail
Two men arrested on Monday in possession of two live pangolins at the Mururani border checkpoint were granted bail of N$5 000 each in the Rundu Magistrate’s Court.
The suspects, Petrus Kandjimi (37) and Haingura Mangundu (36), appeared before Magistrate Sonia Samupofu to face charges of possession of controlled wildlife.
Samupofu granted the two accused bail of N$5 000 each and the matter was remanded to 28 January 2019 for further police investigations.
Kandjimi indicated to the court that he will acquire a personal lawyer while Mangundu indicated that he will conduct his own defence.
Kandjimi is a resident from Rundu’s Donkerhoek location while Mangunud is from Katjinakatji village.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident two men were arrested by the Kavango West police after they were found in possession of two pangolin skins.
According to region's police crime investigations coordinator, Deputy Commissioner Rudolf Mutonga Mbumba, the two were arrested at Kahenge village.
The duo aged 24 and 20 are said to have appeared in the Kahenge periodic court.
However at the time of going to print, Namibian Sun could not establish what transpired.
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 value.
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.
KENYA KAMBOWE
The suspects, Petrus Kandjimi (37) and Haingura Mangundu (36), appeared before Magistrate Sonia Samupofu to face charges of possession of controlled wildlife.
Samupofu granted the two accused bail of N$5 000 each and the matter was remanded to 28 January 2019 for further police investigations.
Kandjimi indicated to the court that he will acquire a personal lawyer while Mangundu indicated that he will conduct his own defence.
Kandjimi is a resident from Rundu’s Donkerhoek location while Mangunud is from Katjinakatji village.
Meanwhile, in a separate incident two men were arrested by the Kavango West police after they were found in possession of two pangolin skins.
According to region's police crime investigations coordinator, Deputy Commissioner Rudolf Mutonga Mbumba, the two were arrested at Kahenge village.
The duo aged 24 and 20 are said to have appeared in the Kahenge periodic court.
However at the time of going to print, Namibian Sun could not establish what transpired.
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 value.
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.
KENYA KAMBOWE
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