South Africa police seize lions' teeth and claws, arrest Vietnam national

By AFP August 15, 2021 | 06:19 pm PT

An African lion in a cage in Johannesburg, South Africa. Photo by AFP

Police in South Africa have arrested a Vietnamese man and seized about 60 kilos of lion claws, teeth and other items following a four-month probe into wildlife trafficking.

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 Saturday.

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 kilos (9.2 pounds) 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. The Vietnamese suspect was arrested for "illegal possession of a threatened species", and appeared in court on Friday.

The case was postponed until August 20 in order to ensure a translator can be present, the ministry said. The team on the four-month investigation included members of the Green Scorpions, a special unit responsible for enforcing environment legislation.