AR-News: Zimbabwe army, parks staff accused of poaching

[Barry Kent MacKay]

>From The Zimbabwe Independent, 8 May 2004-05-10

Army/National Parks accused of poaching

Munyaradzi Wasosa

The Zimbabwe National Army and the department of National Parks and Wildlife
Management have been accused of involvement in poaching activities that have
decimated Zimbabwe's wildlife in the country's conservancies, the Zimbabwe
Independent has been told. In an interview, Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force
(ZCTF) chairman Johnny Rodrigues, accused the Ministry of Environment and
Tourism of failing to curb "state poaching". 

"It's a fact that the army, which was called in by (Minister Francis) Nhema
to fight poaching, is now heavily involved in the illegal activity," he
said. 

Rodrigues said the army was involved mainly in the Kariba/Chirara game area.
"ZCTF spoke to eyewitnesses in Kariba who saw soldiers airlifting antelope
carcasses," he said. 

"Recently we uncovered 200 snares in one day in the area." Meanwhile,
Rodrigues said poachers were also targeting the black rhino which is
protected under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species
(Cites). 

"Since December 2003, poachers in the Sinamatela Intensified Protection Zone
have killed four black rhino, while two others have been killed in the Save
Conservancy," he said. Rodrigues said the conservancy was under threat from
poachers. "Save has 60% of wild animals left, but the threat of poachers in
the area cannot be over-emphasised," he said.

Rodrigues said Whitro Ranch in Mwenezi, compulsorily acquired by the
government, has no animals left. "It had around 1 000 wild animals including
elands, zebras and impalas, prior to land invasions," ZCTF said. 

"Due to poaching, the ranch only had 240 animals left by April last year,
now there are no animals there." ZCTF also said Kleinbegin Ranch, which is
part of the Bubi River Valley Conservancy, has lost 95% of its wildlife to
poachers in the past three years. The anti-poaching organisation, which was
formed in 2001, clashed with the government in 2002 over corruption
involving government officials. 

"When we formed ZCTF, it was with the intention of assisting National Parks
to minimise poaching before it was too late," Rodrigues said. "With the
government actually encouraging the slaughter (of wild animals), it is
impossible to fight something of this magnitude." Environment minister,
Francis Nhema, refuted ZCTF's accusations saying the department of National
Parks was responsible for anti-poaching activities. 

"It's difficult to comment on behalf of the army," he said. "Most of the
staff that does the anti-poaching is ours." He said his ministry was "happy
with the army's collaboration". He instead accused the ZCTF of falsifying
figures. "They (ZCTF) are running away from the truth by giving
percentages," he said. 

"Their figures worry me a lot." Efforts to speak to army spokesman Colonel
Ben Ncube were fruitless. He was said to be attending a seminar in Bulawayo.
_______________________

  Barry Kent MacKay
  Canadian Representative
  ANIMAL PROTECTION INSTITUTE
  www.api4animals.org