PHOTO: Seized game meat, including pieces from over 100 antelopes and other wild animals, displayed at the Wildlife Ministry headquarters in Juba. The meat was confiscated by wildlife authorities on Wednesday, February 9th, 2021, before being destined for the Juba market - Courtesy

The Ministry of Wildlife says it has captured two private vehicles carrying more than 500 kilograms of wild meat along the Juba-Bor highway between August 31 and September 1.

Charles Laku, the spokesperson of the ministry, tells Eye Radio in an exclusive interview on Thursday that the poachers are arrested at the entrance to Badingilo National Park.

“On the 31st of August and 1st of September, we arrested two vehicles carrying bushmeat and the total of meat arrested reach up to 502 grams of weight,” Laku said.

“This thing happened on the Juba-Bor High way beginning of Badingilo National Park the culprits plus the vehicles have been driven to the National Ministry and the culprits are under investigation,” he added.

He says the suspects are in custody and under investigation.

Laku says poaching and illegal wildlife trade pose a serious risk to both conservation and public health.

“This kind of trade we call it illegal trade in wildlife resources and this easy trade is very dangerous. both to conservation and even to us humans. To conservation, it degrades the production of the animals because the poachers, they don’t mind whether the animal is pregnant or it’s lactating or it’s doing what, they just kill.

“Now to humans, you know, there’s what we call zoonotic diseases, which are transferred from animals to humans So these animals, when they’re killed, they don’t even examine whether they are good for human consumption or not,” he explained.

He calls on the public to support wildlife conservation, saying animals are not only a source of revenue but also part of the country’s pride and heritage.

“Other than the revenue part, it is for the pride of our grandchildren if we kill all these animals, nothing will be left for our Grandchildren If our Grandparents did what we are doing now, we don’t even see what is called wild life,” he said.