Poachers slaughter elephants, rhinos as poaching escalates
By Reagan Mashavave
Friday, 10 December 2010 18:25
HARARE – Zimbabwe has seen an increase in poaching activities over the past
nine months, with nationals from most regional countries being involved in
the trade.
Parks and Wildlife Authority spokesperson, Caroline Washaya-Moyo said the
country lost 62 elephants and 30 rhinoceros to poachers from January to
September this year, compared to 65 elephants, 30 rhino during the same
period last year.
From January to November 2009, the country also lost 59 Buffaloes, 40 Zebras
and 114 Impala and Kudu to poachers.
“A total of 1 901 poachers, who include nationals from regional countries,
were arrested this year alone for poaching the endangered species,”
Washaya-Moyo said.
“The authority, through its investigation unit and the commitment of its
officers on the ground, successfully managed to have these people arrested
for poaching. These include locals as well as nationals from Zambia, Congo,
Botswana and South Africa.”
Washaya-Moyo blamed an “orchestrated syndicate” involving international
poachers for the escalation in elephant and rhino poaching.
Zimbabwe this year embarked on a massive dehorning exercise which resulted
in 50 rhinos being dehorned. Dehorning rhinoceros is a method devised to
prevent the poaching of rhino horns.
“The authority engaged in a dehorning exercise which resulted in a total of
50 rhinos being dehorned,” Washaya-Moyo said.
Zimbabwe has an elephant population of over 100 000, but its holding
capacity of the jumbos is 45 000, while only 700 white and black rhino are
left in the country, Washaya-Moyo said.
Zimbabwe is currently banned from trading in ivory and rhino horns and can
resume trading in 2017 if it gets the nod from the Convention on
International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) when its nine-year
moratorium expires.
The country is sitting on over 37 tonnes of ivory and about five tones of
rhino horns.