Three men arrested for pangolin poaching 

Source: Three men arrested for pangolin poaching – NewsDay Zimbabwe

BY TAPFUMANEI MUCHABAIWA 
THREE men travelling through Kadoma will rue the day they caged a pangolin after they were caught in possession of the mammal on Saturday.

“Police in Kadoma arrested Fanuel Hlambeni (38), Lovemore Mlambo (59) and Tonderai Chandavengerwa (31)  for unlawful possession of a pangolin,” ZRP said in a statement.

“The police intercepted the suspects who were travelling in a silver Honda Fit vehicle at 141 Km peg along Harare-Bulawayo Road and found a  live caged pangolin stashed in the boot of the vehicle.”

Pangolins are a rare species of endangered animals that are protected by Zimbabwean laws.

Pangolins are trafficked by poachers  due to their highly coveted scales which are used in traditional Chinese medicine.

This illegal trade threatens the existence of the animal.

According to research approximately one million of these mammals have been harvested from the wild in African and Asian countries to meet the high demands for their scale, skin, blood, and even foetuses that are believed to have several different uses both in fashion, traditional medicine, and cooking.