Poachers killed 19 Angulate Tortoises at the Table Bay Nature Reserve. 

The City of Cape Town confirmed the incident on Wednesday, this week.

Reserve staff discovered empty shells, this past Saturday , the 01st November 2025, along footpaths leading to the Environmental Education Centre. 

The City said this horrific incident is under investigation and was reported to the police.

It is suspected that tortoises were removed from their shells, indicating that they were shucked and harvested, possibly for meat or traditional use. 

Alderman Eddie Andrews, the City’s Deputy Mayor and Mayoral Committee Member for Spatial Planning and Environment, said ‘this is a serious case of animal cruelty and a violation of environmental protection laws under the National Environmental Management Biodiversity Act and City of Cape Town by-laws. These beautiful creatures have been brutally killed, their shells broken open and discarded, and the internal organs and flesh removed.”

Two men are suspected for this after they entered the reserve earlier on Saturday morning, under the pretence of wanting to fish as they paid for this activity and had a fishing rod with them. 

Photographic evidence, as well as video footage of the suspects’ vehicle has been submitted to the local police, CapeNature, and the SPCA. 

Picture: iNaturalist