Cameroon: West - Two Leopard Skin Dealers Arrested
Vincent Gudmia Mfonfu
10 August 2009



The West Regional Delegation of Forestry and Wildlife has intensified crackdown operations on wildlife crimes in the region which has resulted in the arrest of 2 wildlife traffickers found in illegal possession of two fresh leopard skins. One of the traffickers is reported to have driven into the region from Douala.

The West Regional Forces of Law and Order and The Last Great Ape Organisation (LAGA) assisted in the July 21, 2009 operation that led to the arrest of the two traffickers.

Leopards are totally protected by the law of 1994 governing the wildlife sector in Cameroon and which stipulates that anyone found in possession of part of dead or live totally protected wildlife species including leopards is liable to a prison term of from 1 to 3 years and or pay a fine of from 3 to 10 million CFA francs.

The Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife is now in a renewed alert mode to track down all those violating the wildlife law and bring them to justice. That is why a case file has been established against the leopard skin dealers in the court in Bafoussam in accordance with the provisions of the wildlife law.

The Minister of Forestry and Wildlife, Professor Elvis Ngolle Ngolle says the crusasde on the fight against illegal trade in protected wildlife species is being intensified in 2009. "We will continue with this crusade to ensure the effective enforcement of the wildlife law in order to permit all our conservation partners to understand the determination of the Cameroon government to respect good governance in the sustainable management of the forest and wildife ecosystem", posits Minister Ngolle Ngolle.


Wildlife traffickers have been described by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) as "those who steal state property" and further qualify them as " gangs of heavily arLes prévisions tournaient autour de 85 % des enfants âgés de 6 à 59 mois, mais au final, la distribution de moustiquaires imprégnées à longue durée d'action en direction de cette tranche d'âge a atteint un taux record de 102 %.med people harvesting resources to which they have no legal or moral right". IUCN observes, "Economic activities based on game hunting and harvests from the wild have become more commercialized marketed locally, nationally and internationally", a situation IUCN concludes " can become uncontrollable".

It is in a bid to bring the situation under control, that the Government of Cameron in 2003 launched the national programme with technical assistance from LAGA, focusing on effective wildlife law enforcement by bringing offenders to justice.

The program has recorded great successes, so much so that Cameroon has come to be hailed within the circles of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wildlife Fauna and Flora as a world leader in wildlife law enforcement. Indeed, with the political support of Central African Forest Commission (COMIFAC), the experience is now being replicated in some countries in the sub-region, notably the Republic of Congo at the requests of their governments.