Four men have been handed five-year jail sentences in Mpika and Chinsali after being convicted of illegal possession of up to 51 kilograms of illegal bush meat of various wildlife species.
Allan Chanda was convicted and sentenced to five years imprisonment with hard labour by the Mpika Subordinate Court for Unlawful Possession of Protected Trophy namely, Hippo meat weighing 12 kilogrammes, contrary to section 130 (1) of the Zambia Wildlife Act number 14 of 2015.
The Court also convicted and sentenced Sten Kabengele and Mupanga Lwanga to five years imprisonment with hard labour for Unlawful Possession of Protected Trophy, namely Black Lechwe meat weighing 24 kilogrammes, contrary to section 130 (1) of the Zambia Wildlife Act number 14 of 2015.
In Chinsali, the Subordinate Court sentenced Shadrick Katongo to five years imprisonment with hard labour for Unlawful Possession of 15kg of Sable Antelope meat, and another six months’ imprisonment for unlawful possession of five shotgun Shells.
Illegal bush meat trade is considered to be the biggest threat to wildlife populations in Zambia and the region, even over and above the ivory and rhino horn trade, according to a statement issued by Ministry of Tourism and Arts spokesperson Sakabilo Kalembwe.
A few men buy fire trucks for $42million squandering money Zambia does not have and they go scott free!!! A few villagers try to feed their families with game meat and you sentence them to 5 years?????? White tourists come and “cull” hundreds of hippos and we are fine with that.A villager kills one hippo and he is sent to prison!!!!!! Am I the only one seeing this injustice? what qualification do our judges have that they can’t see sense in sentencing people to community service.Our prisons are overflowing already #humanrightsabuse
Mwalasa. The law only applies to the poor.
Illegality is illegality no matter the culprit.
The problem here is paperwork. If you read through the cases they all say illegal possession of game meat. This means one can possess game meat but this must be done legally.
I was once in South Luangwa and game guides told me that I could buy an elephant at K40,000 from Zambia wildlife offices and they would give me a certificate and kill the animal for me. Kudus and Impalas were much cheaper but I can’t remember the price (may be K300 – K500?).
Procedures must be followed because if every Jim and Jack gets a bazooka and starts killing animals indiscriminately then all the game will be depleted in no time.
We Africans just like to shupa each other.
Kabanshi will get two years suspended sentence.
This problem has been there for a long time. People have been arrested but they don’t stop. what is the problem? Has anyone carried out some research on this problem? before civilization came, we lived as hunters gathers of fruits. This in our blood. After stopping them from hunting, what alternatives did govt. give these people? Aside from that, do these villagers share in the benefits that come from conserving these wild animals? When giving hunting licenses, are these villagers allocated some percentage? Otherwise, what we are dealing with are symptoms of the real problem someone somewhere has ignored.
You get umunani from your backyard to feed yourself get locked up five years!!!
It’s not right. Even during colonial times not that bad… They would give you shambock and tell you to behave. Not this. Elton to magistrate what education and common senseless they are! Africa twalisebana . Review those sentences