Africa-Press – Cape verde. Police in South Africa announced the arrest of a 28-year-old man at Cape Town International Airport after discovering 150 live scorpions hidden among his clothing in two bags, in an operation described as security-based on intelligence information.
According to police spokesperson Wesley Twigg, the arrest occurred last Friday during a joint operation between the livestock theft and endangered species unit of the police in Kuils River and a local animal welfare organization, along with CapeNature, the nature conservation authority.
The police clarified that the man was arrested under the “Environmental and Nature Conservation Act” for the illegal possession of wildlife and is set to appear in Bellville Magistrate’s Court today, Monday. Authorities have not yet disclosed the financial value of the confiscated scorpions.
The animal welfare organization confirmed that the scorpions were transferred to a secure facility where they are being cared for, adding in a statement that they “will continue to work closely with the police and CapeNature to ensure they receive appropriate care and arrange for their return to their habitat whenever possible.” The organization described illegal wildlife trade as “a cruel and unlawful trade that causes suffering to animals and threatens biodiversity,” commending the swift action of the police and CapeNature in “preventing these animals from disappearing into the illegal wildlife trade.”
Similar Incidents on the Continent
The Cape Town incident is not the first of its kind in Africa. In April, Nairobi’s Jomo Kenyatta International Airport witnessed an attempt to smuggle over 2,000 “ant garden” ants out of the country, amid warnings from the Kenya Wildlife Service about the increasing demand for this type of ant in Europe and Asia for use as exotic pets.
Previously, in 2025, four individuals were convicted for smuggling over 5,000 ants from Kenya, admitting to the illegal possession and trafficking of wildlife under the Wildlife Conservation and Management Act of 2013, and were fined $7,700 or sentenced to 12 months in prison.
Efforts to Combat Smuggling in South Africa
The Cape Town incident comes at a time when South Africa continues to implement its “National Integrated Strategy to Combat Wildlife Trafficking.” The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment announced in February that the number of rhino poaching incidents decreased by 16% in 2025 compared to 2024, with the number of animals killed dropping from 420 to 352, according to Minister Willy Ockham, who attributed this decline to “dedication and rapid tactical coordination” among stakeholders.
South Africa also participated in “Operation Thunder 2025,” a global initiative to combat wildlife and plant crimes organized by Interpol and the World Customs Organization during September and October 2025, resulting in arrests that included the seizure of pangolins in several provinces, as well as quantities of abalone and smuggled succulent plants. In December 2025, authorities, in a joint operation with Singapore, seized 17 rhino horns and a quantity of lion and tiger bones in a warehouse in Kempton Park, arresting two individuals of Nigerian nationality in connection with the case.
