SOUTH AFRICA PRESS ASSOCIATION (Johannesburg, S Africa) 14 March 06 1,067 crocs in car: Man held
George: A man appeared briefly in George magistrate's court on Tuesday after being caught with 1 067 baby crocodiles in his car, said Paul Gildenhuys of Cape Nature Conservation's environmental crime unit.
Gildenhuys said the man, a South African, faced charges of possession and transport of the crocodiles without a permit.
The man was arrested on February 27 and his case was transferred to the environmental court in Hermanus.
Gildenhuys said that the origin of the crocodiles formed part of the investigation.
He said crocodiles fetched about R120 each when sold on registered crocodile farms.
Asked about the illegal trade, Gildenhuys said: "Everything that flies, walks, swims and crawls has a price on its head. That's a fact of life."
He said recent figures from the international policing agency, Interpol, showed that illegal trade in flora and fauna was now the second-largest illegal trade in the world, after narcotics.
Recent estimates for the illegal flora and fauna trade put the figure at about $20bn (about R124.5bn) a year.
Gildenhuys said South Africa was seen as one of the world's hotspots for biodiversity and faced an increasing run on its natural resources.
The man is due to appear in Hermanus on May 8.
1,067 crocs in car: Man held