Thursday November 29, 2007 Guy Rogers ENVIRONMENT & TOURISM EDITOR

FROM tarantulas to perlemoen, cycads to leguaan skins, illegal traffic in species and wildlife products is one of the major challenges facing the Eastern Cape Green Scorpions unit launched in East London this week.

Jaap Pienaar, one of the veteran eco-enforcers in the department of economic development and environmental affairs‘ new Environmental Management Inspectorate said there was evidence of a “cross-over”
between perlemoen and cycad poaching.

“We are seeing the same guys involved. When we hit the one trade, they switch to the other.”

At the moment, however, the biggest threat to cycads comes from the muti industry. Large quantities of this protected plant are being harvested for the first time in the Tabankulu and Flagstaff areas in the Transkei.
In one case, two women have been arrested and, in the other, a gang of children, who have apparently been harvesting for a big buyer, are involved. Both cases are under way in Mthatha.

Pienaar said that earlier this year an Eastern Cape man who had imported
15 live Amazon tarantulas was apprehended by the Bhisho Green Scorpions.

“The spiders were confiscated and the buyer was arrested. Tarantulas could probably adapt quite easily to our environment, so you can imagine the problem if some of this consignment had escaped or had been released.”

This is not an uncommon phenomenon as buyers lose interest in their unusual pets and discard them into the wild. In the tarantula case, the culprit turned State witness and relayed information about a parallel case involving trade in indigenous baboon spiders from the Eastern Cape to Johannesburg pet shops.

Bhisho‘s eco-law enforcers are also dealing with illegal trade in green pigeons and the decimation of yellowwoods which the Cape parrot relies on for habitat and food.

Headed by Div de Villiers, the unit is calling for formalised links with police, water affairs, the courts and other authorities.

http://www.theherald.co.za/herald/news/n10_29112007.htm