Conservationists are worried that the baby elephants are being taken to hostile environments – but government officials insist the sale is necessary to raise revenue.
Disturbingly, the sale is being done under a thick layer of secrecy and has turned political. Reports indicate that a conservationist was recently almost manhandled when he went to deliver a petition to the environment ministry and peaceful protestors are being denied the chance to air their views.
The story, shrouded in uncertainty and mis-information, relates to who the actual beneficiaries of the sale of these baby elephants and other wild animals are. Our guess is that members of the Zanu (PF) gravy train are the ones who are reaping the gains. So far, government has refused to reveal how many animals it has sold, to whom and whether the money is going into the treasury. This opacity indicates that there is more to this saga than meets the eye.
In any case, it is now an open secret that the ruling elite is the one that is exploiting our wildlife. Government and party officials connive with other private people locally and internationally to sell the animals and tusks and pocket huge amounts of the money. Meanwhile, local communities are hardly getting anything out of the proceeds from the sale. They watch as strangers come to their areas in helicopters and trucks and kill or take away alive the wild animals.
This is despite a government policy and international conventions that clearly make it necessary for authorities and game managers to involve locals in the management of wild animals and the sharing of benefits that accrue from doing so.
That is why communities that live in the vicinity of wildlife sanctuaries remain impoverished. The widespread poverty could be reduced by sharing the benefits of wildlife sales. Because it is not, the local communities are forced to engage in poaching for meat and to supplement their meagre household income. In the process, they contribute to environmental degradation. This makes it difficult to attain sustainable development.
Poor communities are so much seized with daily survival that they don’t consider that the animals are also a mainstay for future generations. What is worse is that the elite don’t care about the environment – only about the money they will get.
There is therefore need for stakeholders to revisit the issue of wildlife management so that present generations benefit and the resources are conserved for future generations.
Post published in: Editor: Wilf Mbanga