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Livingstone Subordinate Court has convicted and sentenced Simona Litungi aged 35-years to a fine of K120,000 or in default six months imprisonment with hard labor for unlawful entry into a national park.
On March 31, 2023, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife officers arrested the Livingstone resident in Mosi-oa-Tunya National Park around 05:00hrs.
Livingstone Subordinate Court Magistrate, Tabitha Mulenga, found Litungi with 14 snare wires and charged him with unlawful entry into a National Park and unlawful hunting with traps and snares contrary to the laws of Zambia.
The 35-year-old male was convicted on his own plea of guilty to unlawful entry into a national park however, pleaded not guilty to the second count of unlawful hunting with traps and snares.
His trial will commence on May 3, 2023.
In passing the sentence, Judge, Tabitha Mulenga, indicated that despite deserving leniency as a first-time offender, Simona Litungi would not be accorded any lenience.
She said this is because the law forbids unlawful entry into national parks and the laws are enforced to protect the animals in the park from illegal human activity and to preserve the park.
Mulenga said snares are one of the biggest threats to wildlife populations in Zambia.
She said poachers set them in a way that any animal can be caught in them, resulting in painful suffering, gruesome injuries, and death.
Mulenga said luckily in this case the Department of National Parks and Wildlife officers managed to prevent this from happening to animals in the Mosi-oa Tunya National Park by catching this poacher before he injured any wildlife.
Contributed by Augustine Sichula
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