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36 armed poachers caught in Zimbabwe’s parks in 2022

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) arrested 36 armed poachers inside the country’s national parks last year as the number of endangered rhinos killed for their horns rose sharply.

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Zimbabwe records a high number of poaching cases every year with animals such as elephants and rhinos targeted for their horns, which are in demand in Asian countries.

Some of the poachers are said to be from neighbouring countries such as Zambia.

Zimparks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo said the arrested poachers targeted endangered species such as rhinos and elephants for their horns and lions for their skin and teeth.

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“Year 2022 saw 36 armed poachers being arrested as they were targeting some endangered species inside our protected areas for commercial purposes,” Farawo told The Standard in an interview.

“As a result 36 of our elephants were either shot or poisoned.

“We also recorded a total of 11 rhinos being poached where six of them were white rhinos and five being the black ones.”

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Farawo said four rhinos were poached inside the Matobo National Park in Matabeleand South while the other four were poached at Save Valley Conservancy in the lowveld.

The Save Conservancy is one of the largest private game reserves in Africa, covering 750 000 acres of diverse wildlife habitat.

Rhinos are poached for the keratin in their horns — a protective protein that makes up hair, nails and skins. 

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In Asia where the horns are mainly exported due to high demand, the protein is believed to have medicinal properties.

Dambari Wildlife Trust (DWT), a non-profit organisation that has been assisting Zimbabwe on its rhino conservation efforts in two western intensive protection zones covering the Matobo and Hwange game reserves, said the number of rhinos poached last year was higher than those poached in the past eight years combined.

A 2019 study by the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) showed that elephant ivory and rhino horns carry cultural significance and are used for traditional purposes, mainly in the Asian countries.

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“Ivory is a status symbol,” the WWF study revealed.

“It’s a luxury product that people use to flaunt their wealth.”

Nicky Pegg, a DWT researcher, attributed the spike in rhino poaching cases to the easing of Covid-19 lockdowns in Zimbabwe and the reopening of the country’s borders.

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Farawo said seven of the elephants killed last year were from the Ngamo Safari area, seven in Kadombora, two in the Sinamatela area, Hwange Safari and Matetsi, all in the northwest corner of Zimbabwe and Save Valley Conservancy.

 “In the year under review our rangers encountered eight armed contacts and after the battles they managed to recover 25 rifles, 174 ammunition and they also recovered 123 elephant tusks and three for rhinos,” Farawo said.”

Pieces of raw ivory and a gun recovered from suspected poachers in Kamativi

“Further, 5 530 shovels were recovered and we also destroyed 167 illegally pitched tents belonging to the poachers.”

Farawo said the poaching cases had, however, declined compared to 2021 and this was due to intensified patrolling and surveillance inside the parks.

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“We invest significantly in our law enforcement in a key drive to protect our wildlife, most of which are key species vulnerable to poachers such as the elephants, lions and rhinos across all our protected areas,” he said.

“We have seen a decrease in poaching compared to the previous year where we lost 42 key species and in 2022, that number was reduced by six.

“This became a success following our increased intensive patrols inside the national parks where we have 90% of our rangers camped there.”

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Farawo said collaboration with law enforcement agencies and the judiciary had also helped to bring the culprits to book.

“We also worked closely with law enforcement officials and the courts and they managed to arrest and try at least 915 cases of both for commercial and subsistence poachers throughout the country,” he said.

“But the message remains clear that if you are found armed inside the park you will be killed.

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“Our rangers will not hesitate to shoot on site and we are alert and even those that encroach inside the park for purposes of subsistence poaching will be arrested and taken to court.”

Farawo appealed for partnerships with non-profit organisations to fight poaching inside the national parks.

Trevor Lane, a co-founder of  Bhejane Trust, a non-profit organisation that seeks to protect elephants, rhinos and other large mammals in Zimbabwe’s parks, praised Zimparks for bringing down poaching cases.

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“The figures are impressive to us because they show that they have been doing a good job considering the past years where we have come from,” Lane said.

“I wouldn’t know what pushes commercial poaching because our organisation does not investigate such things, but for subsistence poaching, obviously the reason for that is the issue of poverty in the communities.”

According to ZimParks, 322 elephants were killed by poachers between 2016 and 2019, largely for their tusks. In two separate incidents at the expansive Hwange National Park, 90 elephants were killed in 2013 and 40 in 2015, after poachers laced cyanide on oranges at watering holes, in what some conservationists described as industrial-scale poaching.

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Zimparks launches elephant culling program

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

In a bid to address the growing elephant population in Save Valley Conservancy, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) has issued permits for a controlled elephant management exercise.

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The exercise, slated to commence shortly, aims to cull an initial 50 elephants from the conservancy, which is currently home to 2,550 elephants – more than three times the ecological carrying capacity of 800 elephants.

According to ZimParks, the conservancy has been struggling to cope with the swelling elephant population, which has put a strain on the wildlife habitat and resources. Over the past five years, the conservancy has translocated 200 elephants to other areas, including Hurungwe and Sapi, in an effort to manage the population.

Zimparks says the controlled culling exercise is expected to provide relief to the conservancy’s ecosystem, while also benefiting local communities.

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Elephant meat from the exercise will be distributed to local communities while the ivory will be kept by the State.

In a statement, ZimParks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo emphasized the authority’s commitment to responsible and sustainable wildlife management.

“We remain committed to ensuring that our wildlife resources are managed in a responsible and sustainable manner, for the benefit of present and future generations.”

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In the community

Hwange police seek public’s help in locating missing teen

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BY STAFF REPORTER 

The Hwange police are urgently seeking the public’s assistance in locating 16-year-old Latoya Lisa Munkuli, who went missing on May 7, this month.

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Latoya, a dark-complexioned female juvenile, was last seen leaving her residence in Hwange around 4 pm.

She was wearing a distinctive outfit consisting of green trousers and a white T-shirt, and carried a black satchel. She stands approximately 1.6 meters tall.

Inspector Glory Banda of the Hwange police is leading the investigation and urges anyone with information about Latoya’s whereabouts to come forward.

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If you have any information about Latoya’s disappearance, please contact Inspector Banda on 0785961747 or 0771256607.

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National

Coal train in flames: NRZ locomotive damaged in fire incident

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BY WANDILE TSHUMA 

A National Railways of Zimbabwe (NRZ) locomotive suffered significant damage after catching fire while transporting export coal to Zambi. The incident occurred between Kalala and Matetsi sidings, resulting in the explosion of the locomotive’s fuel tanks.

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According to the NRZ press statement on Monday, “A National Railways of Zimbabwe locomotive suffered some damages after it caught fire this afternoon while transporting export coal to Zambia.” Fortunately, the crew members on board managed to escape unharmed.

The NRZ responded swiftly to the incident, dispatching a rescue train with crews to the site. The team successfully extinguished the fire, preventing further damage. However, the locomotive itself sustained considerable damage.

The cause of the fire is yet to be determined, with investigations currently underway. “Investigations are already underway to establish the cause of the fire and the amount of damage to the locomotive,” the NRZ statement read.

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