On 14 July 2016, at Nakonde Magistrates Court two men, Kizito Sikazwe
and Andrew Nelson Simunde were sentenced to five years imprisonment
after being found guilty of illegal possession of two pieces of ivory
weighing 17kg in total.
Under the Zambia Wildlife Act, no. 14 of 2015 illegal possession of
ivory can be sentenced with five to ten years in prison. These illegal
wildlife traffickers were arrested as a result of an operation
conducted by the Intelligence and Investigations Unit of the
Department of National Parks and Wildlife.
Zambia’s elephant population has declined significantly from 250,000
in 1960 to approximately 20,000 today. The Department of National
Parks and Wildlife under the Ministry of Tourism and Arts works
tirelessly to ensure wildlife criminals are brought to justice in
Zambia.
The GRI Wildlife Crime Prevention Project (WCPP) works closely
alongside the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (previously
ZAWA) to support anti-trafficking operations through training and
resources for units around Zambia.
WCPP are also starting to support the prosecutions of wildlife crime
through training and resources to prosecutions officers as well as
engaging the Judiciary in wildlife conservation.