ZimParks translocates100 elephants

THE Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) is in the process of capturing and translocating 100 elephants from Chiredzi to Hurungwe in an effort to decongest the Save Conservancy, Southern Eye has learnt.

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

“We are in the process of capturing at least 100 elephants from the south-east Lowveld to the Zambezi Valley through a partnership which we as ZimParks have with our stakeholders. The elephants will be captured from Sango in Save Valley to Rifa Safari area which is a parks estate in Hurungwe in Mashonaland West province,” ZimParks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo said in a statement yesterday.

“The capturing and translocation of these elephants has been necessitated by an overabundance of the species in Save Conservancy. This is a result of good management that we have had and strong partnership with our private stakeholders, not to forget the local communities which have been tolerant to living in harmony with nature.”

Farawo said the organisation allowed sustainable utilisation of wildlife, including sport hunting for the benefit of the country and local communities.

“We, as a country, subscribe to the principle of sustainable utilisation uses of our wildlife resources including elephants. In other words, we subscribe to sport hunting as a sustainable way. Sport hunting is the principle where wildlife is utilised for the benefit of the country, for the benefit of the community through properly managed and monitored activities and this has also increased the population of elephants throughout the country.”

Farawo said according to 2014 statistics, the country had an estimated 83 000 head of elephants, which is the second largest population in the world after Botswana.

He added that cases of poaching had fallen since January because of inclusive conservation efforts.