A Shurugwi man has been ordered to pay a US$100 fine or spend three months in jail by the Magistrates Court after he killed a hyena and sold around 45 kg of its meat to unsuspecting villagers on June 7, 2024.
According to The Mirror, Tinashe Mhlabati (25) of Village 8, Zhaugwe in Shurugwi was arraigned before Magistrate Percy Mukumba, who also ordered him to pay US$1,000 compensation to the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority (Zimparks).
Mhlabati was found guilty on his own plea when he appeared in court on Wednesday.
He confessed before the court that he knowingly hunted the hyena with six dogs, killed it and sold its meat to unsuspecting Shurugwi villagers.
Mhlabati was also found cooking some of the meat at his homestead. Officers from the ZRP also recovered the hyena’s tail at his homestead.
The court heard that Mhlabati and Artwell Mukoki who is still at large hunted down the hyena with six dogs and killed it.
The duo skinned the animal, ate part of its head and sold most of the meat to unsuspecting villagers at Zhaugwe Business Centre.
Police received a tipoff that the duo was in possession of a hyena and proceeded to Mhlabati’s homestead where they found the hyena’s tail and some cooked meat.
Four hyena legs were found at Artwell Mukoki’s homestead but he managed to evade arrest.
Mhlabati told the police officers that they sold most of the meat at the Zhaugwe business centre.
The recovered remains were taken to Gweru Zimparks and were confirmed to be that of a spotted hyena. The remains weighed 1.95kg.
A full-grown spotted hyena weighs between 40 and 86kg. Interestingly, spotted females tend to be heavier than males.
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