Tourism and Environment

US varsity develops software to tackle lion poaching

Published

3 years ago

August 12, 2022

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

A top university in the United States of America is working on potentially ground-breaking software to fight help end the poaching of lions and trafficking of their body parts.

The University of Illinois says the software will track lion populations and trafficked lion products, based on mitochondrial DNA sequences, which has the potential to identify regions where poaching of the big cats.

VukaNow Activity, a USAid sponsored initiative to combat wildlife crime, in a statement to mark World Lion Day on August 10, said it was supporting the university’s efforts to develop the “Lion Localizer” given that Africa’s population is under threat.

Zimbabwe is one of the countries where lions are poached for their parts and skin.

“Africa’s lion population has almost halved in the past 25 years, due to threats such as illegal wildlife trade, bush meat poaching, habitat loss and fragmentation, and human-lion conflict, this technology is a timely addition to the fight against this decline,” VukaNow Activity said.

Alfred Roca, a professor in the department of animal sciences at the University of Illinois, and is heading up the innovative project, said the software will help law enforcement agencies to tackle the poaching menace.

“Smuggled wildlife products may be moved far from their original geographic source, and may be consolidated or travel across various countries, before being confiscated by authorities in a transit or destination country,” Roca sai.

“With lions increasingly subject to poaching for their teeth, claws, and other bones, we wanted to develop software and databases to allow law enforcement and forensics laboratories the capacity to examine the geographic source of the lions using DNA.”

According to Wesley Au, a graduate student working on the project, the Lion Localizer is interactive software that utilises a database of mitochondrial DNA sequences obtained from published studies, in order to gain insight on the possible origins of confiscated lion body parts.

“A mitochondrial DNA sequence, which may easily be produced using DNA extracted from lion tissue samples, is used as a query for the software,” Au said.

“The software creates a list of all the locations in Africa from which lions have been reported to have a particular DNA sequence, and plots these locations on a map of Africa.

“This makes it possible to identify regions from which the lions could potentially have been poached.”

VukaNow Activity said the knowledge will assist in the on-going fight against wildlife crime, by suggesting that lions may be from a particular region in Africa, and by excluding the likelihood that the lions came from other regions.

“This will provide law enforcement with information helpful towards further investigation,” it added.

“The software can also provide insight into which lion populations have either been recently targeted, or are being repeatedly targeted, by poachers, allowing for mitigation measures to be implemented.

“Importantly, law enforcement forensics laboratories will be able to gather this information, using the Lion Localizer, without the need for species-specific expertise or a great investment in time and limited resources.”

Deborah Kahatano, the chief of party for USAID’s VukaNow Activity, said they were thrilled to have been able to support the development of such software through a grant, as it was closely aligned with the objectives of their initiative.

“The software will act as an essential addition to the tools we have available to combat wildlife crime in the region,”Kahatano said.

” In addition, it will support the Southern African Development Community in implementing its Law Enforcement and Anti-Poaching (LEAP) strategy, by furthering the LEAP objective of minimising wildlife crimes and illegal trade.”

VukaNow Activity said while the software currently uses information from a fragment of DNA, as additional DNA sequences and markers become available for lions, it should be possible to increase the accuracy and preciseness of the estimates of the geographic origin of lion products.

Roca also noted that going forward, the software and methods developed could potentially also be applied to other trafficked species for which geographically-referenced DNA sequences are available.

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Zimparks launches elephant culling program

Published

3 days ago

June 3, 2025

VicFallsLive

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.

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.

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.”

In the community

Crocodile attacks claim 9 lives, injure 11

Published

3 months ago

March 13, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

A surge in crocodile attacks has left a trail of death and destruction in Zimbabwe, with 9 fatalities and 11 injuries reported in the last two months.

According to a statement released by the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks), 49 human-crocodile conflict cases were recorded during the same period, resulting in the loss of 44 cattle and 60 goats.

The Mid-Zambezi region, which includes Lake Kariba, Angwa River, and Hunyani River, was the hardest hit, with 19 cases reported. The Central region recorded 14 cases, while 16 cases were reported in other areas, including Matopo, Harare, North-West Matabeleland, and South-East Low-veld.

ZimParks has urged communities to exercise extreme caution, especially around water bodies, during the current rain season. The authority has advised communities to ensure that livestock and children are not left unattended near rivers or lakes, and to take precautions when engaging in water activities such as fishing, swimming, and domestic chores.

To mitigate the situation, ZimParks is working closely with local authorities and conservation partners to raise public awareness and promote safety practices. The authority has emphasized its commitment to finding a balance between ensuring public safety and conserving wildlife.

As the situation continues to unfold, ZimParks has appealed to the public to remain vigilant and to report any crocodile sightings or attacks to the authorities.

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Lion found poached in Victoria Falls

Published

3 months ago

March 7, 2025

VicFallsLive

BY NOKUTHABA DLAMINI

A disturbing poaching incident has shaken the conservation community in Victoria Falls, with a lion found brutally killed and mutilated.

According to a statement released by the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks), a team from the Vic Falls Wildlife Trust was tracking a collared lion when they stumbled upon a gruesome scene.

The poached lion’s flesh had been removed, and its claws and head were missing. However, in a heartening turn of events, a second lion, an adult male, was found caught in a snare but still alive.

Thanks to the swift intervention of veterinary doctors, the second lion was successfully treated and rescued from the snare.

ZimParks has condemned the incident and vowed to work closely with the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) to bring the perpetrators to justice.

“We are worried about the increasing cases of lion poaching, and we will continue to work with the Police and other conservation partners to curb this challenge,” said Tinashe Farawo, ZimParks Spokesperson.

The incident has raised concerns about the safety of wildlife in the area, with ZimParks rangers and anti-poaching units conducting snare-sweeping patrols to protect the animals.

As the investigation continues, conservationists and wildlife enthusiasts are calling for increased efforts to combat poaching and protect Zimbabwe’s precious wildlife heritage.