Hwange elephant deaths linked to poor park maintenance
By Alex Bell
21 November 2011
The deaths of an estimated 100 elephants in the Hwange National Park is
being linked to poor park maintenance, amid warnings that Zimbabwe’s
wildlife is facing a serious disaster.
An estimated 100 elephants are believed to have died from thirst since
October, with the majority of waterholes in the park drying up. The Park has
no perennial rivers and very little natural surface water and most of the
water available to the animals has to be pumped from boreholes.
But the National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority of Zimbabwe, which
for years has been plagued by lack of funding and alleged corruption, has
not been able to keep the pumps going.
According to the Herald newspaper, Zimbabwe Parks director Vitalis Chadenga
said his organisation was “doing its best,” even with limited resources to
artificially supply water.
“Hwange is extremely hot and dry. We are actively managing the situation by
pumping water from boreholes,” he said.
But Johnny Rodrigues from the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF) told
SW Radio Africa on Monday that poor maintenance from the Park side means the
pumps do not work. He said that wildlife is not a priority in Zimbabwe.
“This is quite a disaster taking place and Park authorities have so many
excuses for why they can’t even do basic maintenance,” Rodrigues said.
He added that it was only because of groups like the Friends of Hwange Trust
that the animals have access to water. Friends of Hwange was formed on the
back of the extreme drought of 2005, which saw them step in and take over
the maintenance of 10 boreholes in Hwange park. This has involved raising
funds to purchase diesel as well as repairing and maintaining the diesel
engines, boreholes and troughs.
On Monday Rodrigues said the Trust and ZCTF need help in staying on top of
the maintenance, explaining that about 54 new diesel engines are required to
replace the worn out ones used at the water pumps. He explained that the
motors only last about five years, but he said: “Hopefully in the next five
or six years things will improve politically and wildlife will be a
priority.”