Three men were caught poaching porcupines at the Wolfgat Nature Reserve in False Bay, the Cape Town City Council said yesterday.
“A rapid response by the City’s nature conservation staff led to the arrest of three men who were hunting illegally in the Wolfgat Nature Reserve.
“The men were accompanied by 18 hunting dogs and three dead porcupines were found in a bag in their possession,” the council said.
The men were arrested on September 30, the City said, and taken to the Mitchells Plain police station, where a case was opened against them.
“The Grassy Park SPCA was contacted to collect the dogs.”
The council said the illegal hunting of wild animals in nature reserves and protected areas was a persistent problem, and poaching was difficult to stop as it happened at all hours of the night.
“The City is facing a challenge with the illegal hunting of wild animals. There are currently a few groups that hunt with large packs of dogs on the False Bay coastline between the Zandvlei Nature Reserve and Macassar Dunes Conservation Area,” said the City’s mayoral committee member for energy, environmental and spatial planning, councillor Johan van der Merwe. – ANA