Cape Town – The Atlantis Magistrate’s Court sentenced Strand resident Wolutu Koti to two years direct imprisonment suspended for five years after he was found guilty of hunting protected and unprotected wild animals with dogs.
Koti was arrested in Melkbosstrand in July for being in possession of the carcasses of a Cape Fox and porcupine, together with 11 large greyhounds.
He was intercepted by the Melkbosstrand police on the R27 West Coast Road.
According to CapeNature, Koti was also found guilty of animal cruelty.
He transported the 11 dogs in the back of a double-cab vehicle without adequate light, space and ventilation, which resulted in the excessive exposure of the dogs to heat while they were suffering from heat exhaustion after the hunting.
The court ordered the ownership of the dogs be forfeited to the Cape of Good Hope SPCA and Koti be declared unfit to own or be in charge of any animal for a period of three years.
CapeNature spokesperson Marietjie Engelbrecht said the fact Koti had previously been found guilty of hunting wild animals with dogs in the Eastern Cape and fined R500 served as an aggravating factor during sentence determination.
She said the two-year direct imprisonment suspended for five years was on condition Koti be not found guilty of any other charge of hunting without being able to provide a satisfactory account during the period of suspension.
“Furthermore, he was fined R20 000 or two years imprisonment of which half is suspended for a period of 5 years on condition that he is not found guilty of any other charge of cruelty to animals during the period of suspension.”
Engelbrecht said the poaching of wildlife in South Africa was on the rise despite progressive environmental legislation.
“This successful prosecution is a shining example of the success that can be obtained through the co-operation between the community, the SAPS, the City of Cape Town, the SPCA, the Western Cape Nature Conservation Board and the prosecutors at the Atlantis Magistrate’s Court.”
CapeNature chief executive Razeena Omar said: “As the conservation authority in the Western Cape, it’s important that we protect the biodiversity of the province.
‘‘The prosecution and sentence of biodiversity criminals sends out a clear message that partaking in these types of crimes are serious offences that carry hefty sentences.”
CapeNature Conservation Services office’s Leandi Wessels lauded Atlantis Magistrate’s Court prosecutors for their commitment to securing a “just sentence.”
Anyone with information about illegal hunting on the West Coast can contact Wessels on 021 955 9121/0.