The union said in a notice to members last week that the elephants had their heads hacked off and were left with their tusks intact, showing that the attackers were not professional poachers after the ivory.

“Investigations are underway into the callous slaughter of two elephants (a young bull and a lactating cow) that were left with their heads cut off in a blatant show of defiance,” the union said.

The elephants were part of a popular herd that had become a tourist attraction as it after being started with beasts orphaned in the 1982 drought and reared by hand.

“It could be likened to the ‘Presidential Herd’ in Hwange. The elephants are very docile as they trust humans due to having been bottle-fed as youngsters,” the CFU added.

The union also reported a surge in new mass invasions in wildlife conservancies in the Lowveld.

“This is of great concern because many of those properties are currently entertaining clients from overseas. The current lawlessness could have a detrimental effect on their business and in particular future client’s willingness to visit these internationally popular resorts,” it said.

Top officials in President Robert Mugabe’s Zanu (PF) party, the army and police have since January muscled into conservancies and ranches in the Save Valley area.

Affected safari operators have been forced to surrender between 50 and 80 percent shareholding in their properties to Zanu (PF) officials, top police and military officials, and traditional chiefs in a renewed crackdown on white-owned businesses.

The Save Valley Conservancy is the world’s biggest private game reserve.