WILDLEX

On September 16, 2018, Kaiming C., Dajun X. and Muzhong Y. went to the Dishuiyan mountain forest of in the six groups of Mendong Village, Chengxiang Town, Wuxi County, Chongqing without applying for the Licensed Hunting Permit, laying a power grid of more than 300 meters long. They returned at 18:00 the next day.

The defendants Gao Dechun and Lin Youxin used an air gun to kill a Himalayan Goral in Jiabuzu Village, Sawajiao Township at the end of December 2017, and after peeling them, split them and took them home to eat.

From August to December 2012, the defendant Zhao used his own house as a business place and for the purpose of illegal profit, purchased goral products under second class state protection from Tian and Zhang (all handled separately), valued at 24,654 yuan. Zhao confessed to having illegally purchased rare and endangered wild animals.

In November 2010, Xianjin G. purchased a black bear under second class state protection from Lu and Hu at a price of 4,400 yuan. Later, Xianjin G. sold the black bear to Li and Song. On January 22, 2013, Xianjin G. purchased a wild goat from Pan at a price of 800 yuan. The wild goat was found and seized from Xianjin G.'s house.

On October 4, 2017, Jun L. returned from Kenya by KQ886 flight and entered through the Guangzhou Baiyun Airport port. He concealed the disguised four small pieces of rhino horn slices in the black wooden head, and placed it in the suitcase for consignment. From October 8 to October 16, 2017, Jun L. contacted Hongsen W.

The appellants, all first offenders, were charged with hunting elephant and rhinoceros. They were charged on the 31 October 1986 for selling two pairs of rhinoceros horns without permit. They were convicted on prohibited dealing in trophies and sentenced to three years imprisonment based on the section they were charged under.

The appellant was convicted of being in possession of rhino horns without a certificate of ownership. The appeallant appealed the conviction.

On 17 – 18 June 2016 at Bucklands Farm, in the district of Albany, in the course of which a white rhino known as Cambell, belonging to one Ian Steward, was darted with a tranquilizer gun and its horn removed, resulting in the death of the rhino. The police were working on Operation Full Moon as Rhino poaching was rife.

The appellant was found to have been complicit in the transaction where a fake rhino horn was sold in a police trap for R350 000. He was sentenced to six years’ imprisonment. The appellant unsuccessfully appealed to the Free State High Court against his conviction and sentence.

The accused were previously convicted on various counts, by the same court and the matter came for sentencing on a later date. The Criminal Law Amendment Act 105 of 1977, prescribes a discretionary minimum sentence of 15 years imprisonment per count for amounts of more than R500 000; for the ten counts on theft of rhino horns.