Zim wildlife facing poaching ‘horror story’
By Alex Bell
27 January 2012
Zimbabwe’s wildlife is facing another destructive year, with poaching on the
rise, land being destroyed and no government support for conservation
efforts.
Elephants, rhinos and hundreds of other animals are at risk and
conservationists in the country have warned of a potential ‘disaster’.
Johnny Rodrigues, the Chairman of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force
(ZCTF) described the situation as a “horror story.”
“We’ve got serious problems,” Rodrigues told SW Radio Africa on Friday.
“Animals are being poached, poisoned, threatened. And there is no law and
order to even think of stopping the situation.”
Rodriques explained how waterholes have been poisoned, land invaders have
been involved in poaching and trees are being chopped down for firewood,
placing the animals at risk. He said that this month alone, at least four
rhinos have been killed, while recently 88 hippos, 45 buffaloes, 30
elephants and 2 kudus were found dead in Mana Pools National Park. Tests
confirmed that the hippos died of anthrax but the cause of death of the
other animals has not yet been confirmed.
“We also have ongoing destruction in the Chiredzi River Conservancy which is
a massive threat to the animals. Of the 70 elephants that were there, there
are now only 44,” Rodrigues said.
Last year, about US$150 000 worth of international conservation aid was
split between six countries, specifically for elephant conservation efforts
in Africa. This money, from a Convention on International Trade in
Endangered Species (CITES) fund, was handed to Botswana, Burkina Faso,
Cameroon, Congo, Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa during a meeting last month
in South Africa. But Rodrigues explained that Zimbabwe did not even
participate in that meeting.
“Conservation is not being supported. The authorities don’t seem to care,
and the animals are the ones being punished. Everything is under threat,”
Rodrigues said.
The ZCTF Chair continued that the return of law and order is the only answer
to the serious issues facing conservation efforts, saying that without it,
no one is safe to even protest what is happening.
“In a normal country, where there is law and order, people can demonstrate
and demand that something happens. You can’t do that here,” Rodriques said.
You can support the work of the ZCTF and follow their updates on the
situation by ‘Liking’ their Facebook group:
https://www.facebook.com/pages/ZCTF-Zimbabwe-Conservation-Task-Force/246013052094585
You can also visit their website http://www.zctfofficialsite.org/