Close-up of a group of armadillos embracing a lizard.
Photo: Thorsten Spoerlein/iStock/Getty Images Plus
Johannesburg-The Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment said on Sunday that two German nationals were arrested near Ascam in the Northern Cape Province on charges of capturing endangered reptiles, including armadillo lizards, with intent to sell them illegally.
The department said in a statement that the two suspects were arrested on Friday near the border between Botswana and Namibia on the edge of the Kalahari Desert.
It said these people also carry illegal drugs.
The department stated that the German couple intends to “smuggle armadillo lizards, geckos and tortoises from South Africa into the lucrative international exotic pet trade.”
The statement said that their arrest was the result of a joint action by police, national parks and environmental officials.
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