“Poaching War May Be Imminent” Warn South African Police

Two dead and another two gang members were wounded by residents of Pearly Beach South Africa after they were suspected to be behind the robbery of perlemoen from three poachers.  Police fear that a war has broken out between the gangsters and poachers after a gangsters house was attacked and set on fire.  13 people have been arrested and are expected to appear in Gansbaai Magistrate’s Court tomorrow.  Last year president Jacob Zuma said he would consider lifting the ban on perlemoen if poaching stopped; the ban had originally been imposed because of dwindling perlemoen resources.  Last year three poachers drowned in two seperate incidents on the same night, and police fear that fighting will only intesify.

A perlemoen (abalone) still in its shell

Two gangsters from the Diep River area in Cape Town South Africa

Living conditions in the slums of South Africa leading people of all ages, including children, to take to the streets and join gangs or poaching syndicates as a means of subsistence

To read the full article on the poaching war click here

What is the Bushmeat Trade?

The bushmeat trade is the illegal, over-hunting of wildlife for meat and income.

Already in West and Central Africa this trade has resulted in declines and local extinctions of many wildlife species and the economic, cultural and ecosystem services they provide. In addition, a number of human health threats have emerged from the trade in bushmeat including linkages to  HIV/AIDS, ebola and the threat of anthrax.

Bushmeat trade is not regulated or managed by any authority. Economic benefits from the trade go mainly to hunters and traders. If current trends continue, future generations of citizens in Africa will not have the opportunity to access benefits from wildlife. Using wildlife to meet protein and income demands cannot be supported in the long term.

The immediate threat of loss of economic opportunity, cultural and ecological services, and other values to a wider community must be addressed today.

(Taken From: www. bushmeatnetwork.org)

Here are some images from the Bushmeat Trade for you to get an idea of what we are talking about:

Smoked Gorilla Meat

Poachers kill 65 elephants, 30 rhinos in Zimbabwe

Due to recent shift on the African political landscape,  International crime syndicates take advantage of the situation and are threatening the survival of rare African wildlife species. A recent press release by AFP confirms this report.

Some images from gruesome aftermath: