Hawks seize a live pangolin and arrest five in White River sting
Photo posted Oct. 20, 2026 by the South African Police Service. SAPS says the Hawks' Nelspruit Serious Organised Crime Investigation unit, with the White River K9 Unit, ran a sting at about 09:55 that day at a scrap metal business in Rockeys Drift, White River, where five suspects aged 34 to 58 allegedly intended to sell a live pangolin for R500,000. Police say the pangolin was seized alive and handed to the Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Agency for veterinary care, two vehicles were seized, and the suspects were due in court on Oct. 21 on a charge of conveyance of a live wild animal. The photo shows the curled-up pangolin in the back of a vehicle beside a water bowl.
- What
- Hawks seize a live pangolin and arrest five in White River sting
- Where
- White River, Mpumalanga, South Africa
- When
- Oct 20, 2026
- Who
- South African Police Service (@SAPoliceService), Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), Mpumalanga
- Status
- Official release
- Warning
- Content warning: None. A live pangolin in a vehicle; no people or injuries shown. Graphic level: none.
Sources
Record details
Captured 20 October 2026. Time captured: not stated. Releasing authority: South African Police Service (@SAPoliceService), Directorate for Priority Crime Investigation (Hawks), Mpumalanga. Location: White River, Mpumalanga, South Africa.
Credit: South African Police Service (@SAPoliceService), watch at source. License: Link-only (source-hosted; not rehosted).