South Sudan arrests 5 people over wildlife crimes

South Sudan wildlife ministry said Wednesday that five people have been arrested and over 150 kilograms of bush meat seized after a convoy of suspected poachers was intercepted near the capital, Juba.

Khamis Adhiang, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Wildlife and Tourism told Xinhua the poachers were busted at the remote village of Bilinyang, some 15 kilometers east of Juba.

Adhiang said the seized bush meat indicates that the poachers killed over 40 different species of animals, adding that the suspects would be produced in court and charged under the country's anti wildlife crimes law.

"Our wildlife officials arrested five people who were found loading bush meat on motorcycles. They have been put in police custody and we shall soon take them to the courts," Adhiang said.

He said food insecurity and biting economic hardship has forced many people to resort to poaching of wild animals as means of sustaining their diets and income.

The official further revealed that conservationists have seized over 2,000 kilograms of bush meat during an Interpol-led anti wildlife crimes operation between February and March.

War-torn South Sudan is host to one of the world's largest mammal migrations, according a U.S. based Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), but there has been a worrisome reduction in many of the country's wildlife populations since the 1970s.

The agency attributed the decline to food insecurity and economic hardship that has increased illegal trade in wildlife and also threatens survival of rare wildlife species such as elephants and Rhinos in the world's youngest nation.

Official figures from the wildlife ministry said the population of giraffes declined from about 100,000 to 300, and the population of elephants declined from 80,000 to fewer than 2,500 from the 1970s to 2013. Endit