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The Skukuza regional court on Thursday sentenced Mozambican Nelson Sandile Sambo to an effective 20-year jail term for poaching-related offences. Sambo, 43, was convicted on seven counts, including trespassing, killing a rhino and possession of a firearm.

A disturbing poaching incident has shaken the conservation community in Victoria Falls, with a lion found brutally killed and mutilated. Advertisement According to a statement released by the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks), a team from the Vic Falls Wildlife Trust was tracking a collared lion when they stumbled upon a gruesome scene. The poached lion’s flesh had been removed, and its claws and head were missing. However, in a heartening turn of events, a second lion, an adult male, was found caught in a snare but still alive.

Environmental conservation organisation, EMS Foundation, wants the government to permanently ban the trade of lion bones in South Africa. The foundation's director, Michele Pickover, says their study shows that the lion bone sale is linked to the Asian big cat market operated by syndicates without permits. The foundation will be a friend of the court to oppose the application by the South African Predators Association (SAPA) to force the Environmental Department to allow them a quota to trade in lion bones.

The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) arrested 36 armed poachers inside the country's national parks last year as the number of endangered rhinos killed for their horns rose sharply. Zimbabwe records a high number of poaching cases every year with animals such as elephants and rhinos targeted for their horns, which are in demand in Asian countries. Some of the poachers are said to be from neighbouring countries such as Zambia.

The Skukuza regional court on Thursday convicted and sentenced a man who had been arrested in the Kruger National Park on three separate occasions to an effective 32 years' imprisonment for poaching-related offences. Forster Lubisi, 43, was convicted of three counts of trespassing, two counts of possession of a prohibited firearm with a serial number obliterated, possession of ammunition, possession of a dangerous weapon, killing of a rhino and possession of an unlicensed firearm. He pleaded guilty to the crimes.

A sea, air and mountain (Seam) special operations ranger was injured by a suspected poacher who was resisting arrest at the Table Mountain National Park (TMNP) in the early hours of Tuesday. About 11.30pm on Monday, the park's operations room staff received information about suspected poachers operating in the park’s marine protected area near Glencairn. "Seam operators responded and, with the assistance of the police, successfully stopped a vehicle suspected of being involved in the incident," South African National Parks said in a statement.

There is a resurgence of poaching activities targeting rhinos at Matobo National Park, which threatens to reverse gains made over the years to protect the endangered species. Matobo National Park in Matabeleland South has one of the highest rhino populations in the country. Six poaching incidents have been reported at the game reserve this year, according to Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) Matabeleland South regional manager Midwell Kapesa. Zimbabwe holds the fourth largest population of rhinos in Africa with 616 black rhinos and 417 white…

Poaching syndicates are recruiting vulnerable villagers in Zimbabwe's animal corridors to kill animals such as elephants for their ivory, and to find markets, even on the streets, it has emerged. Police in areas such as Hwange, Kamativi and Victoria Falls in Matabeleland North have in recent months arrested people found trying to sell pieces of ivory on the streets. Conservationists say most of the locals arrested are people that were exploited by cunning syndicates, including some run by Zambian nationals, and they often lacked knowledge about wildlife crimes.

Law enforcement agencies globally must address rhino horn trafficking as transnational organised crime, with an increased focus on the higher-level actors in the supply chain. This was the main message that emerged from a joint webinar hosted by World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) SA and the Wildlife Justice Commission to mark World Rhino Day on Thursday. Malaysian customs officials say they have seized a stash of rare animal parts worth $18 million thought to have come from Africa, including elephant tusks, rhino horns and pangolin scales.

Hwange National Park, once a favourite hunting ground for poachers, has not lost an elephant to the illegal hunters for the past two years largely because of partnerships between the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) and non-governmental organisations. In 2013, over 300 elephants were killed by poachers at the country’s largest game reserve as the menace reached its peak. Poachers, who included villagers from rural outposts such as Tsholotsho and Hwange used cyanide to kill the elephants for their ivory.

Rising demand for bush meat during Covid-19 lockdowns has decimated wild animals that used to roam the streets of Zimbabwe’s prime resort town of Victoria Falls, conservationists say. The Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit (VFAPU) said animals such as warthogs that used to roam the city were now hard to come by because they were killed by poachers, who use snares. VFAPU said between January and April, it apprehended 59 suspected poachers around Victoria Falls. The anti-poaching unit removed 163 snares and another 309 snares were identified by Zambezi Horse Safaris.

Poaching syndicates are recruiting vulnerable villagers in Zimbabwe's animal corridors to kill animals such as elephants for their ivory and to find markets, even on the streets, it has emerged. Police in areas such as Hwange, Kamativi and Victoria Falls in Matabeleland North have in recent months arrested people found trying to sell pieces of ivory on the streets. Conservationists say most of the locals arrested were people that were exploited by cunning syndicates, including some run by Zambian nationals, and they often lacked knowledge about wildlife crimes.

The department of forestry, fisheries and the environment has welcomed the hefty sentences handed down by a North West court to three rhino poachers on Wednesday. The Mogwase regional court handed down sentences of 85 years each to Mozambican nationals Arlindo Muhlanga, Adam Hlongwane and Gamula Chauke. The men were arrested in 2018 after the poaching and dehorning of three white rhino cows in the Pilanesberg Game Reserve.