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Rutendo Ngara, Court Reporter

THREE men from Figtree have appeared in court for allegedly illegally possessing a pangolin valued at US$5 000 without a permit.

 Lungisani Moyo (33), Ceaser Dube (34) and Steven Sibanda (34) appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Mr Lizwe Jamela charged for unlawfully possessing a protected animal without a licence or permit.

Dube and Sibanda are employed while Moyo is unemployed.

The trio was remanded to January 31 on $500 bail each.

 Prosecuting, Ms Lynia Hwicho said on December 24 last year, the men were found in illegal possession of a male pangolin along the Bulawayo-Plumtree road in Figtree.

 She said the three did not have a licence or permit to possess the pangolin which is a specially protected animal.

Ms Hwicho said detectives from the Criminal Investigations Department in Bulawayo received information that the accused persons were in possession of a pangolin in Figtree.

The detectives teamed up with Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority rangers and they went to Figtree where they met Dube.

 He told them to drive for at least four kilometres towards Plumtree then gave them a signal to stop.

“Dube phoned Sibanda who came driving a Nissan NP300 which belonged to his employer (name withheld) with one male live pangolin which was in a plastic suitcase behind the passenger seat,” said Ms Hwicho.-@missngara