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Mail & Guardian

Illegal

latest news & developments
The moral rot of “canned hunting” runs deep. It strips wildlife of its majesty, reducing noble creatures to commodities. Beyond ethics, this practice undermines conservation
ILLEGAL

Wildlife Justice Commission: Wildlife traffickers captured in joint operation

The suspects were attempting to sell lions illegally when they were arrested

  • Sheree Bega
2 min read
South Africa’s rare and enigmatic sungazer lizards (Smaug giganteus) are named after Smaug, the fiery dragon of Middle-Earth in JRR Tolkien’s The Hobbit. (Wikipedia)
GRAHAM ALEXANDER
Video

Saving South Africa’s little dragon, Smaug

Trade in rare sungazer lizards for the international exotic pet trade is rampant

  • Sheree Bega
8 min read
Right to die: DignitySA founder and writer Sean Davison outside the court during his murder trial in Cape Town in 2019. Photo: Jaco Marais/ Netwerk24/Gallo Images
ANGEL

The right to die, warts and all

The activist professor’s second book explores the unvarnished truth behind assisted death

  • Rithuli Orleyn
6 min read
A pangolin skin is displayed amongst other exotic and illegal animal parts at a stall on February 17, 2016 in Mong La, Myanmar. Mong La, the capital of Myanmar’s Special Region No. 4, is a mostly lawless area where Chinese tourists are able to cross the border for exotic poached animals, gambling, and prostitution. (Photo by Taylor Weidman/Getty Images)
AFRICAN PANGOLIN WORKING GROUP

Pangolins pushed to the brink of extinction

The trafficking of scales is no longer a ‘niche’ criminal activity, but a serious and organised crime that threatens to make all eight species extinct within 20 years

  • Sheree Bega
7 min read