A 27 year old man of Chienge District in Luapula Province has appeared in the Kaputa Magistrate Court for illegal possession of a tree pangolin.

Before Magistrate Emmanuel Mukoma was Patrick Chilaba, who was facing one count of possession of a protected animal contrary to section 130 (1) of the Zambia Wildlife act number 14 of 2015.

This is in a matter that came up for trial in which Chilaba was found with a live tree pangolin.

Facts before the court were that on December 26, 2025, Chilaba approached a Kaputa based community whistleblower that he was selling a live pangolin.

Upon noting that the animal in question was protected and prohibited by law, the whistleblower called an investigator from the Department of National Parks Wildlife based in Mpulungu identified as Isaac Kofi.

Kofi, who is a state witness in the matter, told the court that immediately he was informed of the matter and went to Kaputa to meet Chilaba.

He told the court that after meeting Chilaba he informed him that he had put the price of the pangolin at K700, 000 the price that reduced to K450, 000 following negotiations.

The court heard that the two parties agreed to make the transaction but Chilaba demanded a down payment which Kofi declined.

The court heard that all this time that the arrangements were being made, Chilaba did not know that he was dealing with an investigator from the Department of National Parks and Wildlife department.

To actualise the deal on December 30, 2025, Chilaba made arrangements to meet Kofi at a named lodge in Kaputa.

It was at this place that the investigator saw the live pangolin packed in a laptop bag.

“At the meeting your honour Chilaba went behind the lodge and came back with a black laptop bag and there was a stripped sack where the pangolin was, it the first time that I actually saw the live pangolin,” Kofi told the court.

He further revealed that during that time, he was secretly texting Constantino Mwansa, a Kaputa based Wildlife Police Officer to mobilise in anticipation for an arrest.

Knowing that the place was too open to do the transaction with such large sums of money, Chilaba suggested a different location to complete the deal.

This led to the whistle-blower’s house where the money would be transferred and the pangolin would be handed to the supposed ‘buyer’, Kofi.

Kofi further explained that when they entered the house, he alerted the Wildlife Police Officers and the arrest was made.

“We took him to the Kaputa Wildlife sector office, charged him with the offence of illegal possession of a tree pangolin and later handed him over to the police” he said.

He further explained that on December, 31, 2025, the pangolin was disposed of by the Kaputa Magistrate’s court and was transferred to Lusenga National park in Kawambwa.

The Court has set February, 16, 2026 as the date for ruling on the matter.