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ZCFT Report - July 2011
Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF)
July 25, 2011

10 poachers arrested

We are very pleased to announce that Zimbabwean authorities have arrested 10 people for poaching and unlawful possession of elephant tusks and rhino horn that they were suspected of selling to buyers from China. The suspects who included 4 former soldiers and 4 farmer were arrested in 2 separate operations.

In the first operation, 6 suspects were found with 2 fresh rhino horns and the other group was arrested whilst trying to sell 4 elephant tusks in Harare. Both groups had approached a Chinese businessman trying to sell him the horns.

Rhino poacher exposed in South Africa

Marnus Steyl, a South African lion breeder and safari operator has emerged as a key supplier of millions of rands worth of rhino horn to a ruthless south east Asian wildlife trafficking syndicate. Steyl allegedly stood to make at least 16 million rand in just 13 weeks this year by supplying 50 sets of rhino horn to a Laotian company fronting for the syndicate.

It has been established that the Xaysavang Trading Export-Import Company - which reportedly operates from a hotel in central Laos - placed the order on April 23rd. The requisition which was signed by one of the company directors states bluntly, "1 month can shoot 15 rhino." Chumlong Lemtongthai, a senior Xaysavang director and Thai citizen was arrested 2 weeks ago at a house in Edenvale, Johannesburg. Lemtongthai's "man on the ground" in South Africa, Punpitak Chumchom was recently forced to leave the country. Marnus Steyl allegedly locates the rhinos that are to be hunted. The trophies are then exported to Thailand and Laos where they are ground up and sold on the black market for medicinal purposes.

Lemtongthai's arrest was the culmination of a year long investigation by the South Africa Revenue Service, aided by the Hawks.

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