Monrovia — An 85-year-old Ghanaian national identified as Kofi Budi has been found guilty of hunting down twenty-six assorted parrots from the Liberian forest in violation of the National Wildlife Conservation and Protected Area Management Law of Liberia.
He was found guilty by the Zwedru City Magisterial Court, Grand Gedeh County on June 13, 2023.
Prior to the verdict, the defendant admitted to both counts of possession of live animals without a permit or license and hunting without a permit or license. According to the convict, he narrated that he bought three parrots from Ghana and has been living in Grand Gedeh County for the past 20 years with these parrots, which he used to catch twenty-three (23) parrots, thereby making it a total of 26 parrots.
Defendant Budi further stated that he used climbing rope, glue substance, ash powder, and nails to set parrot traps, and he usually sells each parrot for LD. 500.
The convict told the investigation that he used the rope to climb trees to set traps for parrots, the glue substance is being used to put on trap sticks, 4 nails are used to nail the trap stick up in trees, and ash powder is used to remove glue from the parrot when caught.
The investigation established that all the materials mentioned above belong to suspect Kofi Budi, which he has been using regularly.
The investigation also established that out of the twenty-six (26) parrots, three (3) grand parrots have been trained by suspect Kofi Budi to behave properly. It can be recalled that on June 5, 2023, the Ministry of Justice, through the office of the city solicitor of Atty. Jerome W. Tarpeh of the Zwedru City Magisterial Court, requested the court for a writ of arrest to be served on the defendant for the crimes he allegedly committed.
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The defendant was arrested on June 5, 2023, and placed behind bars at the national correctional facility in Zwedru.
On June 13, 2023, the state was represented by Atty. Adolphus B. Brown and Atty. Jerome W. Tarpeh, City Solicitor, while the defendant was represented by Atty. Morias T. Waylee.
The state requested the court for the reading of the writ of arrest to the defendant for his plea, and when the writ was read to the defendant, he pleaded guilty to the crimes and asked the court for mercy.
Based on the photo submitted by the state and the confession made by defendant Kofi, and since the 26 parrots have been turned over to the Forestry Development Authority (FDA), who are the rightful owners to be in possession of said parrots, it is the ruling of the court that the defendant is adjudged guilty of the crimes.
This is not the first time that individuals from Grand Gedeh County have been engaged in the illegal hunting and possession of live animals.
Sometime in May of this year, a man identified as Varney Fody, a resident of Toe Town, Grand Gedeh County, was arrested with over nine (9) bags of pangolin scales weighing over three hundred seventy kilograms (370 kg), believed to be the largest seizure to date by the special wildlife investigation unit.
The special wildlife investigation unit is comprised of the Liberia National Police, Forestry Development Authority, the Liberia Revenue Customs, along with its international partners, who strive to ensure that wildlife traffickers and traders are brought to justice.
