Man Jailed For Dead Pangolin

A man from Harare has been sentenced to nine years in prison after he was found guilty of having a dead pangolin in his possession.

23-year old Moses Gatsi from the Highlands district in Harare, has pleaded guilty to the charges of possession of a pangolin.

Pangolin’s are extremely rare and are an endangered species. It is illegal to own a pangolin or have one in your possession without a valid permit in Zimbabwe and many other parts of the world.

According to reports, the police were tipped off by an informant that the man had a Pangolin and that he was looking to sell the animal.

Pangolins can fetch anything from $5000 upwards, because they are so rare and endangered.

The police then got on touch with the man undercover and later arranged to meet the man at the main post office in Harare. It is here where they then arrested the man for trying to sell them the Pangolin.

However, the man said that he had left the Pangolin at home and that they would have to go to his house in order to pick up the Pangolin.

However, when they arrived at the man’s house, the Pangolin was dead. The man also could not produce a valid permit for having a Pangolin in his possession.

Gatsi appeared before magistrate Tendai Mahwe in Harare yesterday, who then subsequently sentenced him to nine years in prison.