The Endangered Wildlife Trust’s (EWT) plant detection dog, which is trained to detect succulent plants, displayed his training during a police action.
Delta the dog assisted in Springbok where two males were arrested for illegal possession of 1 760 endangered plants.
This multi-disciplinary operation involving members of the Springbok Stock Theft and Endangered Species unit, Springbok Public Order Policing and Shadi Henrico, Esther Matthew and Delta of the EWT, was held on Friday, 13 October, at approximately midnight.
The police stopped and searched a golden-coloured VW Polo and, with the help of Delta, confiscated a bag of Conophytum subterraneum plants. The vehicle was also confiscated.
The two males were arrested and charged under the Northern Cape Nature Conservation Act for illegal possession of endangered plants. They will appear in court soon, said Lt. Col Sergio Kock, police spokesperson.
The Namakwa district commissioner, Brig. Schalk Andrews, lauded the multi-disciplinary team for their unabated efforts and thanked the South African Hunters and Game Conservation Association for its consistent assistance and efforts to eradicate succulent poaching in the Namakwa district and surrounding areas.
