A pet shop owner in Lenasia, Gauteng, was this month fined R1,500 after being caught keeping and selling leopard tortoises without a permit. The arrest was made by environmental inspectors from the Gauteng Department of Environment (GDenv) along with a local police officer, following a tip-off from a concerned member of the public. The GDenv team explained to the shop owner that it is illegal under Ordinance 12 of 1983, to import, transport, sell, or keep leopard tortoises without a permit. Ten tortoises were confiscated — eight hatchlings and two adults. They were taken to the South African Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre in Springs. During questioning, the shop owner gave conflicting stories. At first, he claimed he got the tortoises from a farm in Mpumalanga, but later changed his story, saying he bought them from people selling on the roadside. He also said that the hatchlings belonged to his child and were not for sale, while the two adult tortoises were for sale, though no prices were displayed. Officials are still unsure of the original source of the tortoises.
Contributors: Mahlodi Lerutla, Olga Kone,
and Tlangelani Mkhatshwa