3rd JUNE 2019 - 7th JUNE 2019

From the 3rd to the 7th of June 2019 Speak Out for Animals in Partnership with Lewis and Clark Law School and Michigan State University College of Law hosted a 5day Animal Law Training for 12 Public Prosecutors from the National Prosecuting Authority.

The purpose of this training was to introduce prosecutors to the significant field of Animal Law and the issues that arise in the prosecution of animal law cases across the Zimbabwean Courts. The training covered inter alia an Introduction of Animal Law in Zimbabwe by Advocate E. V Chinoda; an Overview of Animal Law, History and Development in the USA by Natasha Dolezal from Centre for Animal Law Studies; Challenges of Prosecuting animal law cases in Zimbabwe; Stakeholder concerns with prosecution and management of crimes against wildlife; Learning from other jurisdictions: protection of Wildlife in SA and USA by Ed Newcomer from the US Fish and Wildlife Services; Current Animal Welfare issues in Zimbabwe from SPCA, Overview of crimes against Animals in Zimbabwe; Intersection of Animal Law with other Disciplines of Law; The value of International Conventions i.e. CBD and CITES and how lawyers can add value and How to Successfully oppose Bail.

This training capacitated and sharpened the Prosecutors to handle animal cases with utter most attention. We are glad to also notify that the fruits of this training are already evident as we are receiving successful convictions against Wildlife criminals from across the country. As such our gratitude goes to all our Partners, Presenters and Participants who made it possible for the Training to be conducted thus squarely fitting the words of Rukmini Devi Arundel who stated that “Animals cannot speak, but can you and I not speak for them and represent them? Let us all feel their silent cry of agony and let us all help that cry to be heard in the World”.