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As poachers poison wildlife, Zimbabwe finds an antidote in tougher laws

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BY RYAN TRUSCOTT

Nearly a decade ago, poachers used cyanide to slaughter more than 135 elephants for their ivory in and around Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park.

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In the wake of these poisonings, the Southern African country tightened its laws to prevent similar deadly attacks on its wildlife.

new study shows that, even as international demand for ivory fuels poaching across the continent, this pivotal change to Zimbabwe’s Environmental Management Act in 2018 — combined with efforts to stop poaching before it happens through the improved use of informers — is helping to cut elephant poaching in the country.

Under the revised law, it’s no longer essential for prosecutors to establish that an exact concentration of cyanide was used in a wildlife poaching case.

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“Now you can prosecute people on the basis of intent to use poison maliciously,” says Richard Hoare, a Harare-based conservation consultant and lead author of the study published in the African Journal of Wildlife Research.

“Previously, if prosecutors weren’t able to produce evidence of a dead animal, the magistrates would just convict people of illegal possession of a dangerous chemical without a permit,” Hoare says.

That allowed suspects to get off lightly, with just a fine or community service.

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An accessible weapon

Cyanide is used in Zimbabwe’s mining industry, and its distribution is supposed to be tightly restricted.

But small tablets can be obtained fairly easily by civilians planning to poach.

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“Small amounts of cyanide powder easily go missing from the large stocks held in some mines and enter the illegal supply chain for wildlife poisoning,” the study notes.

“Even some steep price inflation along this chain is offset by the potentially large financial rewards gained from ivory poaching.”

The chemical is a highly effective weapon in the hands of a poacher, who doesn’t need a firearm, the skill to use one, or even the backing of a powerful poaching syndicate.

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Poisoned bait, such as salt mixed with cyanide, can be laid at a waterhole where herds of elephants gather, or along regular routes that they use to get there, and the elephants that eat it die quickly within a few meters of the trap.

Other wildlife, including critically endangered vultures, also fall victim to cyanide poisonings, so the tightened legislation also benefits them.

The 2013 Hwange poisonings led to 219 vulture deaths.

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While the vultures were collateral damage in Hwange, elsewhere they have become the main target.

In August this year, 108 critically endangered white-backed vultures (Gyps africanus) were killed by poachers who laced a buffalo carcass with poison in South Africa’s Kruger National Park.

The poachers were after vulture body parts to sell as charms on the illegal fetish market.

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Secret informers

In Zimbabwe, proactive steps to prevent poison from being deployed in the first place is playing an increasingly important part in curbing wildlife crimes.

These include schemes to secretly pay informers.

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“These schemes have got to really be under the radar. And that money has to be kept very quiet, because the people providing the information are taking big risks themselves,” Hoare tells Mongabay.

“My impression is that the use of intelligence has been massively increased. That’s what’s keeping poaching down at the moment.”

This is corroborated by Trevor Lane, one of the co-founders of the Bhejane Trust, a conservation nonprofit.

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The group works closely with the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) and the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) to conserve wildlife and combat poaching in Victoria Falls National Park and the Sinamatella area of Hwange National Park.

“Good intelligence is absolutely critical,” Lane tells Mongabay.

He says the National Parks Intelligence Unit in Hwange has been very successful in recent years on the back of better intelligence.

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This has resulted in a dramatic drop in poaching.

“I pay out the informer rewards so am very up to date on what is happening, and the Parks Intelligence Unit and the Minerals Flora and Fauna Unit of the ZRP are still producing great results,” he says.

“Commercial poaching in Zimbabwe is at an all-time low.”

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ZimParks spokesman Tinashe Farawo says this year is the third in a row with no cases of elephant poaching around Hwange National Park.

He attributes the decline to the existence of tougher laws like the amended environmental management act, as well as mandatory nine-year jail terms for ivory poaching, all of which act as deterrents.

Communities living close to wildlife are the “first line of defense” in anti-poaching work, he says.

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“They are now assisting us in a big way.”

While there have been no recorded elephant poaching cases since 2020, authorities continue to arrest would-be poachers outside of the park, recording 19 arrests in 2020 and 16 in 2021 according to figures viewed by Mongabay.

But while the study authors say that Zimbabwe’s comprehensive laws against illegal wildlife killing are adequate, there are still gaps in enforcing them.

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Few understand this better than Ever Chinoda.

A former state prosecutor who has also worked as a legal officer for the state wildlife authority, Chinoda is the founder and director of Speak Out for Animals (SOFA), a Zimbabwean NGO.

In 2019, SOFA received funding from the U.K.’s Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to work with Zimbabwean police, national parks, prosecutors and magistrates to build watertight cases and pursue deterrent sentences for the perpetrators of wildlife crime.

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“Before we started doing case monitoring and training in wildlife law, magistrates and prosecutors had an attitude towards wildlife cases,” Chinoda says.

“A magistrate and a prosecutor would rather adjudicate a case involving shoplifting of a lollipop in a supermarket than to prioritize [illegal] possession of an animal.”

In the last three years, however, Chinoda says she and her team have witnessed progress, which she attributes to tougher laws as well as increased public awareness about the value of wildlife.

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Before SOFA’s intervention, it would take up to a year for a court to conclude a straightforward case involving, for instance, the poaching of a warthog, which is an abundant species.

Those timelines have now been reduced to just three months.

Magistrates are also regularly handing down mandatory nine-year jail terms against poachers who kill any of Zimbabwe’s nine specially protected animals, which include black and white rhinos, cheetahs, and wild dogs.

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Critically, the impact of tighter regulations against wildlife poisoning is also evident.

Chinonda says that poisoning cases, which were once common, appear to have declined dramatically since the law was changed in 2018.

Neither Chinoda nor study co-author Divine Chakombera have records of prosecutions under the new law, which Chinonda says can be seen as a sign that it’s working.

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“When people know that this particular crime attracts a heavy sentence,” she says, “it would definitely deter people from committing the offense.” – Mongabay

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National

Tsholotsho to host national commemoration of International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

Zimbabwe will on Thursday, this week,  join the rest of the world in commemorating the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDR), with national events set to take place at Tshino Primary School in Ward 5, Tsholotsho District, along the Tsholotsho–Sipepa road.

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The global day, observed annually, aims to promote a culture of disaster risk awareness and highlight efforts to reduce vulnerability and build resilience in communities.

Speaking to VicFallsLive, Civil Protection Unit Director Nathan Nkomo said this year’s commemoration holds special significance for Tsholotsho, a district that has long struggled with recurrent flooding.

“The whole issue is to reduce, not to increase the occurrence of disasters. And by commemorating, that’s where we share ideas with other people,” Nkomo said.

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He noted that Tsholotsho’s selection as the national host was deliberate, following the successful relocation of families who were affected by flooding at the confluence of the Gwai and Shashani rivers.

“It’s not by accident that we are commemorating in Tsholotsho. We have built 305 houses for people who were affected in the Spepa area, and we will be celebrating in style because we have managed to relocate them,” he said.

“Now we no longer hear of people being flooded in Tsholotsho because of that relocation. So, we will be celebrating in style for Tshini and Sawudweni.”

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The relocations, carried out under government’s disaster recovery and housing programs, have been hailed as a success story in proactive disaster risk management.

Looking ahead to the cyclone season, Nkomo said funding remains the major challenge in preparedness and response.

“We cannot preempt to say there are challenges yet, but historically, since we’ve dealt with COVID-19 and Cyclone Idai, the issue of funds has always been critical,” he said.

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“This year, we are dealing with cyclones at a time when even our development partners have dwindling resources. So, funding will take centre stage in our deliberations, to see how best we can respond with the little we have. The whole idea, when you go to war, is not the question of numbers, but of strategy and how to win.”

The International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction is observed globally every October 13, but Zimbabwe’s national commemorations are being held later this year to align with local preparedness programs and community-based activities.

 

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ZimParks to host first-ever International Wildlife Conservation symposium

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) will hold its inaugural International Wildlife Conservation Symposium under the theme “Wildlife Conservation and Sustainable Development.”

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The two-day event, scheduled for October 22 to 23, next week, will take place at the Management Training Bureau in Msasa, Harare. It will bring together conservationists, researchers, policymakers, and students to discuss key issues around wildlife protection and sustainable development.

The symposium will focus on eight sub-themes, namely Wildlife Conservation and Transboundary Management, Freshwater, Fisheries and Aquatic Management, Sustainable Tourism and Socio-Economic Development, Human-Wildlife Interactions, Environmental Health and Safety, Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation, Community-Based Natural Resource Management, and Natural Resource Policy and Governance.

ZimParks says the symposium will provide a platform to exchange ideas and deepen understanding of the link between wildlife conservation and sustainable development. Members of the public, students, and professionals are encouraged to attend.

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591 rangers killed in Africa — New report warns of urgent need for Better Protection

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BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI 

At least 591 rangers were killed in Africa between 2006 and 2021, making the continent the deadliest place in the world for those on the frontline of protecting wildlife. This stark statistic was revealed by conservation charity Tusk in a press statement issued to mark World Ranger Day, warning that without urgent reforms, more lives will be lost — and Africa’s biodiversity will pay the price.

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“Being a ranger extends far beyond conservation. You are educators, community leaders, researchers, mentors and protectors of cultural and historical heritage, yet this remains one of the most dangerous jobs on Earth,” said Prince William, Tusk’s Royal Patron, in a video message to rangers.

Despite their sacrifices, fewer than 40% of rangers worldwide have access to life insurance, and only 63% receive basic medical services. Many are still underpaid, under-equipped, and exposed to deadly risks from armed poachers, human-wildlife conflict, and hazardous terrain.

Nick Bubb, CEO of Tusk, said: “Too many rangers risk their lives without even the most basic protection. If we are serious about delivering the global biodiversity targets, we must further professionalise the ranger role – with insurance, fair pay, and recognition – so that it becomes a career young Africans aspire to join.”

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The White Paper, Protecting Rangers to Protect Nature, stresses that Africa currently has just 65,000 active rangers — far short of the 345,000 needed to meet international biodiversity targets, including the 30×30 goal to protect 30% of land and seas by 2030.

Louise de Bruin, CEO of the Game Rangers Association of Africa, added: “Our priority is to stand with rangers on the ground and support the organisations that employ them. The RWSI gives us a practical way to listen to rangers, assess their needs, and work alongside partners to improve welfare standards.”

The statement calls for governments, donors, and conservation organisations to embed reforms through the Ranger Welfare and Standards Initiative, launched last year. Measures include affordable insurance, professional training, fair pay, and continent-wide emergency systems to ensure no ranger is left vulnerable.

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Senior ranger Benson Kanyembo from Zambia captured the human cost: “Ranger recruitment is low because the job, as it stands, is not attractive enough. Rangers face extreme personal risk while their families live one accident or illness away from destitution. This is not acceptable.”

The report concludes that protecting rangers is inseparable from protecting nature. Without them, Africa risks losing not only its iconic elephants, rhinos, and lions — but also the ecosystems that provide food, water, and livelihoods for millions.

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