Man takes pangolin to Mnangagwa

A Kwekwe farmer made headlines after driving 215 kilometres to Harare to personally hand over a pangolin he had found on his property to President Emmerson Mnangagwa – a risky gesture that could have landed him in prison.

John Mapurazi placed the endangered animal in his car and passed through several police checkpoints en route to State House. Under Zimbabwe's Parks and Wildlife Act, mere possession of a pangolin carries a mandatory minimum sentence of nine years, as the law prohibits hunting, capturing or holding specially protected species.

Despite the legal risk, Mapurazi was received by State House officials, who facilitated an audience with the president. President Mnangagwa later handed the pangolin to the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority for proper care.

Conservationists have warned that the incident could unintentionally give pangolin poachers a new excuse for transporting the species, joking that they could claim: "I'm taking it to the president."

Zimbabwe's pangolin population is not precisely known, but the species is classified as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and enjoys the highest level of legal protection in the country. Conservation experts emphasise that the strict nine-year penalty for harming, capturing, selling, or possessing pangolins is essential to prevent their exploitation, although public awareness of these laws remains limited.

Officials urge citizens to admire pangolins from a distance and leave them in their natural habitat, stressing that direct handling or removal from the wild is both dangerous for the animal and illegal.