BULAWAYO – Three lions killed and dismembered at Hwange National Park in Matabeleland North were shot by a game ranger employed to protect them, a court heard.
Hali Mabuya, 39, who is employed by the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Authority at Hwange National Park’s Mtshibi Camp is accused of shooting the three lions with a rifle assigned to him.
He was arrested after trying to turn the gun over to the armoury on October 22 and asking a colleague to alter the dates in respect of when he had signed for and returned the Point 458 rifle.
Prosecutors said they believe Mabuya was working with a poaching syndicate as he appeared at the Hwange Magistrates Court on Saturday facing charges of unlawful hunting and unlawful possession of ammunition without a firearm certificate.
The recovered gun has been matched to the bullets that killed the lions, and Mabuya was also found with 52 live rounds including 30 for a Point 458 rifle which Zimparks says he was never issued with, said prosecutor Jemesina Makanza.
Mabuya was not asked to plead as he was remanded in custody to November 1 by magistrate Fungai Dzimbiri.
The three lions – two females and one male – were found dead with their paws and heads removed near the Dom Pan waterhole inside the giant wildlife sanctuary. Tyre marks and footprints were also observed at the scene, pointing to the fact that the killing and dismembering of the animals was the work of more than one person.
Zimparks had offered a financial reward for information on the poachers.
