KATIMA MULILO – The Ministry of Environment and Tourism in Katima Mulilo nabbed a suspected poacher identified as Martin Siseho who was in possession of an eland carcass.
The suspected poacher claimed he shot the eland thinking it was a lion.
Siseho and his cattle herder were caught red-handed with the carcass stored in the house and they claimed the eland was a lion, the Chief Warden for Parks and Wildlife Management in the region, Morgan Saisai, confirmed. He said the suspected poaching took place last Friday in the area of Malimina and the suspect was arrested on the same day around 22h00.
The area where the incident took place is in the game-rich Salambala Conservancy.
“Siseho and his accomplice who is his cattle herder that helped him skin the animal were both apprehended the same day and we confiscated a 2.2 rifle, 18 rounds of ammunition and an AK-47 without a licence,” said Saisai.
Saisai added: “If Siseho thought it was a lion why didn’t he report the matter to the authorities but instead he skinned the animal and kept the meat and where in the world have we seen a lion with horns?”
He reiterated that the co-accused will be charged with hunting on state land without a permit, hunting with a weapon (AK-47) that is not allowed in a protected conservancy and being in possession of an unlicensed weapon while the cattle herder will as well be charged with illegal entrance into the country without following legal procedures.
Shebby Lukopani the Chief Inspector at the Ngoma Police Station said a case was opened but he did not have clarity on the matter and referred New Era to environment and tourism.
“The time the case was opened I was not at the station and I only heard about it as well, rather ask the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, they can shed more light on that because it is they who carried out the investigation.”
However he said the two accused were to appear in the Katima Mulilo Regional Court later yesterday.
Eland are regarded as an endangered species that were extinct in the region and only brought into conservancies by the government and through the Millenium Challenge Account in recent years.
“The biggest challenge we are faced with in the region is poaching and elephants are the main targets among all because of their ivory,” said Saisai.
He further said that most of the poaching syndicates are those that are out on bail and thus attributed increases in poaching to low bail and short sentences, stating the culprits are not feeling the punishment.
He however could not establish the exact number of wildlife that have been poached recently but said roughly over 75 animals have been poached of which elephants dominate.
By Obrein Simasiku