Poachers kill 23 Zim rhinos
December 5 2011 at 04:21pm
Harare – The number of rhinoceros killed in Zimbabwean parks decreased to 23
this year from 30 in 2010 as parks authorities stepped up high-tech efforts
to track poachers, state media reported on Monday.
“We have just above 700 black and white rhinos and 23 have been poached this
year,” Caroline Washaya, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority
public relations manager told The Herald newspaper.
“We managed to arrest 37 poachers and illegal dealers in rhino horns to
date,” she added.
Zimbabwe and its southern neighbour South Africa have been hard hit by
rhinoceros poachers motivated by the lucrative market for the horn in Asia
where it is used for medicinal purposes.
Washaya said parks authorities had been using methods such as placing
tracking chips in the rhinos’ horns, or removing the horns altogether, to
prevent poaching.
“This year, a total of 100 rhinos were immobilised for ear notching and horn
implanting to facilitate individual identification and monitoring in the
field,” she said.
Last month a US-based animal protection group, the International Rhino
Foundation, launched Operation Stop Poaching Now to raise funds to equip
rangers in Zimbabwe and South Africa with kits to better track rhino
poachers.
The so-called “crime-scene kits” contain a camera, a metal detector, a GPS
system, finger-printing materials and sealable evidence bags, according to
the Foundation. – Sapa-AFP