Green Scorpions Who Sting For Environment: Police in Africa Enforce Pollution, Littering, and Conservation Laws
There should be a new travel advisory if you are traveling to Africa these days. Not that it has been cutely tucked somewhere in the hundreds of travel advisories issued by the US State Department or EU on terrorism or politically unstable nations of Africa each year.
It is not about biting food shortages either; you’d still blissfully load your favorite McDonald’s double cheeseburger or quarter pounder but take care where you fling away that annoying packaging on your safari.
Speaking of a safari, you’d definitely want to see the wildlife, and that includes some endangered species too. But you may be stung all the way to a crumpled jail house literally if you dare to “disturb” their natural habitat. And this may include doing business too.
“Protect the Environment. There are Green Scorpions roaming around who will sting you if you don’t.”
- » See also: Mistaken Identity: Hunters Kill Endangered Pygmy Hippo During Pig Hunt!
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In South Africa, environmental management inspectors, otherwise known as Green Scorpions have for 2 years now been nosing around for environmental criminals to protect the country’s natural resources.
Syndicates peddling illegal elephant ivory tusks and forbidden plants have already been stung by these ruthless EMIs, and game ornaments seized in several operations.
Now, if you are shopping for curios on your safari, you wouldn’t want to learn that the curio shop is stocking illegal game ornaments, because possession of these alone gets you to jail too.
The Green Scorpions also run environmental compliance and enforcement campaigns, conducting on-site compliance inspections of plants suspected of violating environmental laws, monitoring for criminal activity along coasts, and educating the public to increase awareness of environmental crimes and the community’s role in protecting the environment.
A special operation targets environmental compliance in the iron, steel, and ferro alloy industries, prioritized because their processes can cause significant pollution if not managed properly.
The Green Scorpions have closed medical waste plants that fall short of the required environmental standards proving they have teeth to bite hard and there are about 1,000 of them roaming around major cities of South Africa.
In Seychelles, officers of the environmental police unit can fine you on the spot for littering under the Environment Protection Act 1994 which was designed to protect the surroundings or public places against anti-social behaviour such as throwing empty plastic bottles, wrappings or polystyrene take-away boxes or pet bottles anywhere after its contents have been consumed.
“Our environment police will help give Seychelles cleaner streets, parks, beaches and public places,” boasted the island’s environment minister.
Environmental law will now be part of course work for all police cadets in Kenya after a succesful campaign by environmentalists and the police will soon have a full-fledged department to arrest environmental pollution.
Last month, 120 police court prosecutors underwent specialized training on pollution and environment for starters.
Photo Credit: Flickr
Hmm…stings in the midst of all that choking garbage in RSA and Kenya? I was is South Africa last month and flying dirty plastic bags were still the National Flower; in Nairobi the river was still as brown as ever!
I would like to establish a Green Scorpion branch in Harrismith(Free State-South Africa).There are lots and lots of illegal dumpings in our area.Please give me some informtion.Contact No:0723336008.