As a vehicle sped away from a police checkpoint in the small Western Cape town of Vredendal‚ police might have thought they were chasing down a hardened drug dealer. But a midday high-speed car chase through the Karoo led them to something far more unique.
Inside the car were 48 armadillo girdled lizards‚ a species endemic to South Africa‚ which lives in colonies on top off koppies and bites its own tail as a defence mechanism‚ according to experts.
But the reptiles‚ worth a total of R720‚000‚ might be destined for captivity now after they were saved by the hawk-eyed officers.
"They are colony lizards living in specific habitats concentrated in a certain area. They live on granite koppies and each colony will have their own koppie‚" said an expert‚ who preferred to remain anonymous.
"When taken out of the wild‚ they are ecologically dead. If returned to the wrong locale‚ they are often disoriented and may die on the wrong koppie. Therefore‚ it is more humane to never release them again once they are in captivity‚" he said.
Being localised and endemic to South Africa's west coast makes the armadillo girdled lizard rare and therefore popular among collectors and breeders in the pet trade.
The lizards are protected under local legislation and one needs a permit for international trade. The expert explains that they have to be bought from a breeder who has bred them in captivity. Thus‚ there is high demand‚ which often leads to unregulated trade.
On the other hand‚ once the reptiles are in captivity‚ they often suffer from diseases.
"We will not allow criminals to strip the wildlife of the Western Cape‚ and we will continue with operations to prevent the further depletion of our wildlife‚" said Western Cape police spokesperson Captain FC Van Wyk.
"The illegal trade in wildlife is high on the agenda of SAPS in the Western Cape in their quest to reduce crime."
