Three suspects were arrested on Saturday for allegedly illegally stripping bark from trees in Cape Town’s protected Newlands forest.

South African National Parks (SANParks) sea, air and mountain (SEAM) rangers, acting on a tip-off, conducted a foot patrol through Newlands forest via the Woodcutter’s Trail where they detected suspicious activity, including chanting and chopping sounds.

According to SANParks senior communications manager Charles Phahlane, the team followed the noise into the forest.

“The team discovered four individuals actively stripping bark. Two were seen chopping while the other two packed bark into backpacks. Upon attempting to apprehend the suspects, they fled the scene, abandoning tools and evidence,” Phahlane said in a statement.

“A SEAM K9 successfully apprehended one suspect, while two others were caught by rangers. A search of the area uncovered a panga, an axe and four backpacks containing stripped bark.”

The suspects, along with the seized evidence, were transported to Claremont police station to be formally charged.

“This operation underscores the ongoing efforts to protect our natural heritage and enforce laws against illegal resource harvesting within protected areas,” Phahlane said.