Cape Town - A counter-poaching operation that lasted 18 hours in the Simon’s Town area resulted in the arrest of a suspect found in possession of 397 shucked abalone and eight whole abalone.
Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) Sea, Air and Mountain (SEAM) team, together with the K9 unit and various law enforcement agencies spearheaded the initiative.
Ahead of the operation, TMNP had received information that illegal poaching activity was imminent within the TMNP’s Marine Protected Areas (MPA).
Rangers together with officials from the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE), SAPS, South African National Parks (SANParks) marine team and the City’s Law Enforcement searched a number of vehicles, profiled suspected divers, searched hotspot areas and deployed a SAPS chopper to narrow down the location for 13 divers who fled towards the mountain.
Due to poor visibility in the area, the chopper needed to land sooner than anticipated.
“I would like to congratulate the rangers and assisting law enforcement agencies on the successful operation carried out in Simon’s Town. These types of operations allow us to gather much needed intelligence to devise a plan to combat environmental crime on land and within the MPA,” said TMNP manager Frans van Rooyen.
SANParks urged surrounding communities to continue helping them in the fight to curb crime within and around Table Mountain National Park.
Cape Times