3 arrested over pangolin trophy, leopard skin deni...

3 arrested over pangolin trophy, leopard skin denied bail

**Tailor Kurehwatira, 73, (white shirt), arriving at the Harare Magistrates' Courts.jpeg**

Michael Mashiri

Three people have been arraigned before the court after being arrested over the possession of pangolin and leopard skin.

Elector Kufandirori, 39, of Mount Darwin, Taylor Kurehwatira, 73, of Mutare and Josphine Jiri, 70, appeared before magistrate Ethel Chichera at the Harare Magistrates’ Courts accused of possessing pangolin and leopard skin.

They were denied bail and ordered to apply at the High Court.

Chichera ordered them to appear in court on October 26.

The State, through prosecutor Zebediah Bofu, alleges that on October 9, 2023, at around 0900 hours, detectives from CID Minerals, Flora and Fauna Unit, were informed that the three had a ground pangolin (Manis temmincki) trophy and a leopard skin which they wanted to sell in Harare.

The detectives got Kufandirori and Kurehwatira’s numbers and called them pretending to be buyers of the wildlife products.

They convinced the three accused persons into believing that they were genuine buyers of the ground pangolin trophy and leopard skin and they agreed to meet the buyers at Kilwinning Shopping Centre in Hatfield, Harare where they were going to sell the alleged wildlife products.

**Elector Kufandirori, 39, right, and Josphine Jiri, 70, arriving at the Harare Magistrates' Courts.jpeg**

When they reached the area, the detectives met Kufandirori, Kurehwatira and Jiri and had a meeting in the detectives’ car, while the other detectives were on surveillance as backup.

In the meeting, they agreed to buy the pangolin trophy at US$4 000 and the leopard skin at US$4 000.

After the meeting, the three went out of the car and went to nearby residential houses.

They later resurfaced, and went to the detectives’ car, with Kufandirori holding a sack.

When they allegedly got into the car, they showed the detectives the ground pangolin trophy and leopard skin.

The detectives quickly gave a signal to the backup team to close in and they identified themselves to the three and requested them to produce a permit which authorised them to possess the pangolin trophy and the leopard skin.

It was discovered that they had no permit, leading to their arrest and recovery of the trophy and leopard skin.

When interviewed, Jiri, told the detectives that one Earnest Chirava from Guruve was the one who had supplied her in August 2023, so that she could look for potential buyers and she engaged the Kurehwatira and Kufandirori to help her find potential buyers.

Parks and Wildlife officials were called in and they confirmed that the recovered wildlife products consisted of a ground pangoli trophy weighing 3.66 kilogrammes, valued at US$5 000 and a leopard skin, weighing 1.61 kilogrammes, valued at US$20 000.