A 41-year-old man is in the police cooler in Mangochi for illegal possession of specimen of endangered species contrary to Section 110(b) of National Parks and Wildlife Act.
Mangochi Police Deputy Spokesperson, Sub Inspector Amina Tepani Daudi, who has identified the suspect as Matola Ishmael, said they arrested him with the hippo teeth on the evening of August 2, 2020 in the area of Traditional Authority Chowe in Mangochi.
“On this particular day, Wildlife Crime Investigation Unit Officers were tipped by members of the public that the said suspect was offering for sale pieces of raw ivory.
“The officers, in conjunction with Mangochi Police detectives, rushed to the scene and arrested Ishmael after they found him with nine pieces of hippopotamus teeth,” Said Daudi.
However, Tepani Daudi said Preliminary investigations have also revealed that on July 27, 2020, the National Parks and Wildlife officers killed a hippo in the area after villagers complained that the dangerous animal was destroying farm produce around the area.
Tepani Daudi said Ishmael will appear before court after investigations are completed and she thanked the members of the public for their support in the fight against wildlife crime in the district.
