Police holding five people over killing of 11 zebras, giraffe calf

Manyara. Police in Manyara Region are holding five residents of Minjingu Village in Babati District for allegedly killing 11 zebras and a giraffe calf.
The suspects were arrested after the police and anti-poaching unit officers of the Tarangire National Park launched a special operation.
Manyara Regional Police Commander Paulo Kasabago said yesterday the residents were sus-pected of having committed the crime on April 22 at between 6pm and 21pm.
He mentioned the names of the suspects as Maneka Gidungule, 44; Gwadida Kwalisan, 60; Gidafari Ngenoi, 60; Paschal Gwandu, 19, and Lwagegasi Gidungule, 32, all residents of Min-jingu Village.
“We have completed an investigation into the alleged crime and their file has been dispatched to the Attorney General for the next course of action,” said Kasabago.
Babati District Commissioner Elizabeth Kitundu said that they still did not know the motive behind by the suspects to kill the animals but an initial investigation had shown that the suspects took that action as a revenge after the animals destroyed their crops.
 She said in the peripherals of Lake Manyara there were areas allocated for herdsmen to graze their animals on, but some of them had turned those areas into farms.