Four years jail will be served by a Kariba man found in possession of 390 snares, one of which had snared and killed a warthog.
In passing sentence after convicting Jonah Mhora (29) under the Parks and Wildlife Act, Kariba Magistrate Miss Bianca Mahere said he deserved a custodial sentence to send a message to other would-be offenders since cases of poaching were on the rise in Kariba and Hurungwe districts.
There were no special circumstances to consider in the case to warrant a non-custodial sentence.
Prosecutor Miss Carren Musiwa had told the court that on September 1, three Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management employees on patrol in the Charara Safari area in Kariba found a warthog caught in a snare and set a trap.
At around 8am, Mhora came to check his wire snares and the rangers pounced on him as he was removing the warthog but failed to apprehend him as he fled.
A follow-up was made at his home in Nyamhunga Township leading to his arrest and the recovery of the warthog carcass and 390 snares.
ZimParks spokesperson Mr Tinashe Farawo welcomed the sentence.
“We will continue to work with other Government departments, including the judiciary, to ensure that wildlife crimes are taken seriously and we will continue to engage them.
“We warn members of the public that protected wildlife areas have security personnel that are always patrolling and any illegal hunting of wildlife is prohibited. Our rangers will continue protecting and conserving wildlife,” he said.
— Herald
