This is an excerpt from an article written by Philani Nombembe and published online by TimesLive on 14 August, 2021

Authorities have recovered lion teeth and claws from a suspected illegal wildlife trader.

The Vietnamese man was arrested during raids in Bela-Bela and Pretoria after a four-month probe by analysts and wildlife investigators. The suspect was also arrested for illegal possession of a firearm.

A joint team comprised of the Green Scorpions from the department of environment, forestry and fisheries (Deff), the Limpopo department of economic development, environment and tourism, the Gauteng department of agriculture and rural development and SANParks conducted the raid on Thursday.

In a statement on Saturday, Deff said search and seizure warrants were “executed simultaneously at a Vietnamese-owned farm near Bela-Bela in Limpopo and at two storage units in Pretoria”.

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This is an excerpt from an article published online by News24 on 14 August, 2021

SAPS have arrested a Vietnamese man and seized about 60 kilograms of lion claws, teeth and other items following a four-month probe into wildlife trafficking, the government said on Saturday.

The man was arrested on Thursday “in connection with the illegal trade in wildlife and illegal possession of a firearm” in northern Limpopo province, the location of a number of wildlife parks, the environment ministry said.

Police also raided a Vietnamese-owned farm near the tourist site of Bela-Bela in Limpopo and two storage units in the capital Pretoria, a statement from the ministry said.

They seized 4.2 kilograms of lions’ teeth, 680 grams of lion claws and more than 60 kilos “of processed animal products believed to be lion gelatine” as well as an illegal firearm.

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