A syndicate in possession of a lion’s head and skin without a hunting permit has been arrested. Zimbabwean police set a trap for the group in the town of Victoria Falls with the help of a tourist, who agreed to meet the sellers outside a supermarket to ‘buy’ the lion’s head.
The Criminal Investigation Department (CID) had received a tip-off that the group were searching for a buyer in the resort town.
On Monday the CID police officers arrested game ranger Kissmore Munsak (32), policeman Mascot Muvari (35), soldier Anymore Sikuka (37) and nurses Munashe Murimisa (32) and Buuya Sikuka (48) as well as Victoria Falls resident Verster Chimidzi (43).
According to Sowetan Live, ‘Investigations revealed the lion they killed had been illegally hunted on November 3 in a safari area which is strictly a game-viewing zone.’
The alleged criminals will appear in court on Wednesday 27 November, each facing three charges under the Parks and Wildlife Act. The Act states that ‘no person shall sell any animal or any part of animal which has been hunted in or has died in or has been removed from a safari area’.
They will be charged with trying to illegally sell the body as well as a charge for removing an animal or part of it from a safari area. The final charge the group is facing is for hunting in a safari area.
Image: Unsplash
