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Ivory poachers jailed a combined 166 years

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A TOTAL of 166 years were handed down by the courts to different offenders accused of ivory poaching-related crimes in 2015

A TOTAL of 166 years were handed down by the courts to different offenders accused of ivory poaching-related crimes in 2015, NewsDay has learnt.

BY STAFF REPORTER

In a statement, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks)said combined efforts with other stakeholders including Matusadonha Anti-Poaching Project (MAPP), a non-governmental organisation which assists ZimParks and the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP), were yielding desired results in fighting poaching.

“The combined efforts to combat wildlife crime are paying off as 166-year sentences were handed down by local courts for ivory poaching-related crimes in 2015,” said the statement.

“Out of these, 22 cases were for illegal possession of pangolins. According to Zimbabwe wildlife laws, a person who violates the possession or killing of specially protected species receives a minimum of nine years in prison.”

ZimParks spokesperson Caroline Washaya-Moyo said the combined efforts had further resulted in the identification of 12 most wanted wildlife criminals and the recovery of 25 firearms and the subsequent killing of three poachers during a shootout last year.

In partnership with MAPP, the concerted efforts in fighting poaching led to the recovery of 3 328kg of fish and the capture of four fishing rigs in Lake Kariba.

“At least 100km of illegal fishing nets were also recovered and 20 illegal fishing vessels were destroyed. A total of $12 890 has been raised through fines,” added the statement.