A man who was released on bail after being arrested in the Free State for illegally possessing lion cubs has been arrested again in North West for allegedly transporting three brown hyenas.
After receiving information that a 57-year-old man was transporting the animals in a bakkie in Vryburg, a team from the North West Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation, and Tourism and the police tracked him down. He was arrested shortly after.
Without a permit, it is illegal in South Africa to transport a listed, threatened, or protected species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List classifies brown hyenas as near threatened. The brown hyena is currently the rarest species of hyena in the world.
North West police spokesperson Captain Sam Tselanyane said the man will be detained until his next court appearance on March 14 for a formal bail application.