ZimParks Employee Arrested For Poaching Three Lions In Hwange National Park
An employee of the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Authority (ZimParks) has been accused of killing three lions whose dismembered carcasses were discovered at Hwange National Park in Matabeleland North on Tuesday of last week.
As reported by ZimLive, Hali Mabuya, 39, a game ranger stationed at Mtshibi Camp within the park, allegedly shot the lions using a rifle assigned to him.
His arrest came after he attempted to return the firearm to the armoury on October 22, asking a colleague to falsify the dates related to when he had signed for and returned the Point 458 rifle.
Prosecutors allege that Mabuya was involved with a poaching syndicate. He appeared in the Hwange Magistrates Court on Saturday, facing charges of unlawful hunting and unlawful possession of ammunition without a firearm certificate.
Prosecutor Jemesina Makanza said the recovered rifle has been linked to the bullets that killed the lions, and Mabuya was found in possession of 52 live rounds, including 30 for a Point 458 rifle, which ZimParks claims he was never issued.
Mabuya was not asked to plead and was remanded in custody until November 1 by Magistrate Fungai Dzimbiri.
The three lions—two females and one male—were discovered with their paws and heads removed near the Dom Pan waterhole within the vast wildlife sanctuary.
Investigators also observed tyre marks and footprints at the scene, suggesting that the killing and dismembering of the animals involved several people.
ZimParks had offered a reward of US$2,000 for information leading to the identification of the poachers.
More: Pindula News
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