Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 20 August 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dion George, says the dismantling of a major transnational rhino horn trafficking network is a decisive victory. Six suspected members of a syndicate linked to a fraudulent scheme involving 964 rhino horns worth millions of rands, destined for illegal markets in Southeast Asia, have been arrested. George says the suspects defrauded the department by securing permits under false pretences to buy and sell rhino horns domestically, while funnelling them into illegal international markets:

# Africa’s fastest and most feared snakes can be a key player in tracking pollution, while at the same time keeping ecosystems healthy. This is according to new research from the University of the Witwatersrand. The study, conducted on snakes captured in Durban, has revealed that heavy metals such as lead, arsenic, cadmium and mercury accumulate in the scales of black mambas. Professor Marc Humphries, who led the research team, says they found a clear association between land use and heavy metal exposure in black mambas.

# And finally: Today is World Mosquito Day, a day to raise awareness of the dangers posed by mosquito-borne diseases, and the ongoing efforts to combat the world’s deadliest creature. This year’s theme is Accelerating the fight against malaria for a more equitable world. Mosquito-borne diseases kill more than one-million people and infect up to 700-million each year. University of Pretoria lecturer and medical entomologist, Ashley Burke, says vaccines and drugs are vital, but many vector-borne diseases have no vaccines at all:

Stay tuned for more news………….