Caesar, the oldest lion in Amsterdam’s zoo roars his last

DutchNews, August 24, 2018

Photo: Ronald van Weeren via Artis

Caesar, the oldest lion in Artis zoo in Amsterdam, has roared his last, the zoo authorities announced on Thursday 

The lion, who lived in the zoo for 19 of his 20 years and was leader of the pride, had been ill for some time. On Thursday his condition worsened and zoo vets decided to put him down. 

Caesar had 21 descendants among whom two lionesses that still live in Artis zoo. 

The lion lived to a good age, Artis said. Lions in the wild don’t usually live longer than 10  to 14 years. 

‘He was very well-known to visitors who were impressed by his dark mane and piercing roar,’ Artis wrote. The zoo is now looking for a new pride leader.

Cameroon pangolin traffickers caught in the act

Yahoo – AFP, August 21, 2018

Pangolin scales are widely used in traditional Chinese medicine (AFP Photo/
Jekesai Njikizana)

Yaoundé (AFP) - Police in Cameroon have shut down an international poaching gang after catching six traffickers carrying more than 700 kilos of pangolin scales, a conservation group said Tuesday.

Pangolins, or scaly anteaters, are one of the world's most trafficked species and are threatened with extinction. Their scales are widely used in traditional Chinese medicine and their meat is a delicacy in many Asian and African countries.

The six poachers -- five Cameroonians and one from the Central African Republic -- were arrested on August 18 in Douala, a coastal city in southwest Cameroon, according to the Last Great Ape Organisation (LAGA).

Most of the 718 kilos (1,600 pounds) of scales they were carrying were from the Democratic Republic of Congo, it said.

The gang bought pangolins from smaller traffickers in Cameroon, the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo before sending them to Nigeria, where they were prepared for export to Asia, it said.