Cameroun - Cameroon: Bar owner arrested for wildlife trafficking

A wildlife trafficker has been arrested in Betare-Oya by the officials of the East Regional Delegation of Forestry and Wildlife during a crackdown operation carried out in the town.

The 42-year-old man was found in front a bar witha bag containing 40kg of pangolin scales, 6 hippopotamus teeth and 2 boa skins during the operation that was carried with the collaboration of the gendarmerie legion and with technical assistance from wildlife law enforcement support body LAGA (EAGLE Cameroon).

On arrival at the scene, law enforcement officers quickly recognized the man who is alleged to be a notorious trafficker in the area, dealing in several illegal products including gold. Shortly before his arrest, he is suspected of having sold two leopards skins. His links include international clients and had a suspicious contact with a Chinese national who was equally based in the town and had since left the country.

After the operation that took place in front of the bar where the bag of scales and other contraband had been parked visibly for transportation, the suspect was immediately taken to the East Regional Delegation of Forestry and Wildlife were legal proceedings against him were initiated. Eyewitnesses say he owns the bar. He had been using it for cover to carry out several illegal activities including trafficking in minerals and wildlife products. The combination of boa skins, hippopotamus teeth and pangolin scales is indicative of his profile that seemed very broad based. According to sources involved in the operation who accepted to speak on condition of anonymity, he is alleged to be heavily involved in ivory trafficking.

The same sources said that he works in close collaboration with a junior brother who was tracked last year with pangolin scales in Yaounde shortly before he disappeared. He was being targeted for pangolin scales trafficking and an operation team was just about to move in for his arrest. The suspect is presently behind bars waiting for the trial whose first hearing has been scheduledfor March 2 atBertoua court of first instance.

The arrest happened shortly before February 17, 2018 whenthe country celebrated the 7th edition of the World Pangolin Day. The pangolin has been the object of incessant capture to supplyushmeat and most dangerously the illegal trade in scales that is mostly destined for Asian countries. According to statistics for the last two years from thewildlife law enforcement support body LAGA, over 7000kg of pangolins scales have been seized during crackdown operations carried out by the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife within the framework of its wildlife law enforcement programme started in 2003 with the support of LAGA.

The present state of the pangolin is not flattering and in view to tackling such a calamitous situation, some conservation organisations (WWF, TRAFFIC, ZSL and LAGA) met in Yaounderecently and carried out activities aimed at celebrating the 2018 World Pangolin Day. They worked under the theme “Save the Pangolin”. The pangolin indeed needs to be saved in earnest because of all the species threatened with extinction, none has faced indescribable neglect and abandonment like the pangolin. The tide may soon be turning as conservationists mount an attack on some of these threats. They say it starts with sensitization of the public whose knowledge about the pangolin is severely limited to just bushmeat.

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