Local Woman Arrested Trying to Smuggle 12 Rhino Horn Pieces Out of South Africa

• A South African woman has been arrested after she allegedly tried to smuggle 12 pieces of rhino horn out of the country
• The South African Revenue Services intercepted the woman at the airport following a tip-off and searched her bags
• SARS has made huge strides in its fight against rhino horn smugglers and has confiscated 452kgs of rhino horn between July 2020 and December 2021

JOHANNESBURG - A South African woman has been taken into custody after she was caught allegedly trying to smuggle 12 pieces of rhino horn out of the country.

The South African Revenue Services intercepted the woman at the airport following a tip-off and after searching her two luggage bags, the rhino horns were discovered.

SARS claims that they have made huge gains in their fight against rhino horn smuggling. According to SABC News, 125 rhino horns were confiscated between July 2020 and December 2021 with a total weight of 452kgs.

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Sunday Times reported that the woman was headed for Dubai with the rhino horns which weighed 30.7 kilograms.

The airport has a scanner that can detect irregularly shaped objects. In the past, smugglers have attempted to thwart security services by alleging that the rhino horn were live plants, coffee beans and other items.

SA to grant trophy hunters 170 leopards, rhinos and elephants, locals slam move

The South African government is preparing to allocate a total of 170 wild animals to trophy hunters this year. This was the revelation made by Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environmental Affairs Barbara Creecy.

Announcing her department's plans on Friday, Creecy said 10 leopards, 10 black rhinos and 150 elephants have been reserved as trophy hunting was in part responsible for driving economic incentives that are key to promoting conservation.

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The former anti-apartheid activist said the move by the government would also ensure the removal of excess males from the wildlife population. Another factor was revenue, which she said would be generated to cover the costs of conservation efforts.

"Hunting will only be authorised in areas where leopard populations are steady or advancing. Additionally, only male leopards aged seven years or older will be permitted for trophy hunting to lessen the chance of overharvesting," said Creecy.

Source: Briefly News