Zimbabwe is losing several millions of dollars in foreign currency every month to poachers and wildlife smugglers, who take advantage of ZPWMA’s failure to effectively carry out patrols. The organisation is battling critical shortages of fuel, vehicles, financial resources and staff.
ZPWMA spokesperson Edward Mbewe confirmed that the authority has set up an inspectorate to put a stop to illegal poaching and smuggling, particularly in light of an increase in the killing of rhino and zebra.
“We will be having our officers at all the border posts and airports. Most of the smugglers use inauthentic documents which are issued by local authorities and most of these do not have the Parks stamps,” said Mbewe in an interview.
“These illegal activities are getting more organised and they take advantage of the fact that police officers at border posts would not know whether their documents are authentic or not. That is why we are saying let our officers be at the entry and exit points because they are conversant with the documents.”
An animal rights organisation, the Zimbabwe Conservation Taskforce, last week said commercial poachers, concentrated in the wildlife-rich southern region of Zimbabwe, were wrecking havoc in Matabeleland.
Reports said poachers killed as many as 10 zebra at Reata and Swallow Folk ranches in Matabeleland South last month alone. No-one had been arrested.
Poaching, always a problem in game-rich Zimbabwe, reached new proportions during the farm invasions in 2000. Illegal foreign trophy hunters and newly resettled farmers took advantage of the prevailing chaos to slaughter animals on what had been well-protected conservancies and game ranches. – Thenjiwe Mabhena
Post published in: News