Cameroun - Against Covid-19 : Four wildlife traffickers arrested in Kye-ossi

Four people have been arrested with a leopard skin in Kye-ossi during a crackdown operation led by the Ntem Valley Divisional Delegation of Forestry and Wildlife in collaboration with Ambam law enforcement officials. The operation was carried out with the technical assistance of LAGA, a Non-Governmental Organization.

The four alleged wildlife traffickers belong to a network that operates between Cameroon and Gabon. Three of the alleged traffickers were arrested with the leopard skin rapped in a bag on April 3, 2020 at the border town of Kye-ossi. They were intercepted by the joint team of wildlife and law enforcement officials. Sources close to the investigations that spoke on condition of anonymity say the traffickers arrived separately at their place of transaction indicating the cautiousness and attentiveness they implored in carrying out the illegal transaction. The first two arrived on a bike and the third who had the leopard skins hidden inside a bag would arrive a couple of minutes later. Further investigation into the network, led the law enforcement officials to arrest a fourth person the following day.. He is suspected of being the main man behind the trafficking.

The leopard, also known by its scientific name as Panthera pardus, is one of the five extant species in the genus Panthera, a member of the Felidae. Leopard is found in wide range in sub-Sahara Africa and in small parts of Asia. It’s listed as vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because its population is threatened with extinction.

Leopards are totally protected species according to the 1994 wildlife that prohibits poaching and trafficking of the animal. Anyone found in possession of parts of a protected wildlife species is considered to have killed the animal and is liable to a prison term of up to 3 years and or a fine of up to 10 million CFA francs.

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