By Chantelle Muzanenhamo
A 28-year-old Beitbridge man was jailed for 10 months for illegally hunting and killing a male zebra valued at US$3,000.
Smile Moyo committed the offence at Sentinel Ranch in Border Ridge Farm, Beitbridge.
He was jailed by the Beitbridge Magistrates’ Court after being convicted of unlawfully entering the ranch and setting wire snares that resulted in the death of the animal.
The incident occurred on October 14, 2026, when Moyo and his alleged accomplice, Ntshengedzeni Tshabalala, unlawfully entered Sentinel Ranch and set Class One wire snares.
According to the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe (NPAZ), game scouts later spotted the two men inspecting the snares and apprehended Moyo, while Tshabalala escaped and remains at large.
A hunting knife was recovered from Moyo, who subsequently led the scouts to the zebra carcass.
Officers from the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority in Beitbridge confirmed the carcass and issued a certificate to support the court proceedings.
The court sentenced Moyo to six months’ imprisonment, with a previously suspended four-month sentence also being activated, bringing his effective prison term to 10 months.
Zimbabwe’s Parks and Wildlife Act [Chapter 20:14] provides the legal framework for wildlife conservation and the regulation of hunting. The legislation seeks to protect the country’s wildlife resources and natural heritage while regulating activities involving wild animals.
The Act regulates hunting and provides for offences and penalties where wildlife is hunted unlawfully. It also restricts hunting in designated protected areas without the required authorisation.
Under Section 24, hunting wildlife in a national park without the necessary authority is an offence punishable by a fine, imprisonment for up to two years, or both. The Act also contains separate provisions governing specially protected animals and other wildlife-related offences.
The applicable charge and penalty in any particular case depend on the circumstances of the offence and the relevant provisions under which the accused is prosecuted.
The use of wire snares to capture or kill wildlife poses a significant conservation risk, as such traps can kill animals indiscriminately and threaten biodiversity.