Various parts of protected animals from Africa were seized in Spain

The Spanish Civil Guard has seized numerous specimens of protected species originating from Africa. The material was confiscated while being transported in a van in the province of Cádiz.

The driver was unable to provide documentation proving the legal possession and origin of the items, nor their provenance or traceability. For this reason, the incident is being investigated as a possible crime related to the illegal trade of protected wildlife species listed in CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora) and the possible crime of receiving stolen goods or theft of some or all of the seized items.

Among the pieces are four giraffe bones, several untanned hides of native African animals (warthog, springbok and oryx), a piece sculpted in wood in the shape of a giraffe and 150 kilos of antlers from deer, fallow deer and roe deer.

The incident occurred when Civil Guard officers stopped to assist a vehicle that appeared to be broken down on the A-381 highway. The driver’s nervous demeanor aroused suspicion, and a search of the vehicle’s interior revealed the seized parts.