Two given five years in prison for possession of two pieces of ivory (17kg)

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.