via Zim loses 235 jumbos in 2yrs…Criminal syndicates to blame: Muchinguri | The Herald February 10, 2016
Lawrence Chitumba and Talent Chimutambgi
ZIMBABWE’s wildlife is under threat from poachers sponsored by criminal syndicates operating in and outside the country who use cyanide to poison the animals, a senior Government official has said.
Officially launching “The Elephant Dress” in support of wildlife on Monday in Harare, Environment, Water and Climate Minister Oppah Muchinguri-Kashiri said illegal hunting had resulted in the loss of at least 235 elephants in and outside the parks estates between 2013 and 2015.
“Chief among the challenges is the continued illegal hunting of key species, including elephants for their ivory and rhinos for their horns,” she said.
“Poachers have devised a new silent method that involves the use of chemical poisons such as cyanide.
“This new method of poaching has resulted in the loss of 235 elephants in and outside the parks estates between 2013 and 2015.”
Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said despite the efforts by law enforcement and achievements made in terms of arrests, recoveries and seizure, the threat of wildlife poaching and illegal trade in its products remained high.
She said in the past, commercial poaching of wildlife was restricted to foreign poachers, but in recent years the involvement of locals in wildlife poaching and trafficking had increased.
“A total of 9 487 locals have been arrested for various wildlife offences from 2011 to 2015,” said Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri.
“Information at hand indicates that some members of the communities are involved in harbouring poachers and providing information to poachers as well as carrying out the poaching themselves.”
Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said the nation was concerned with veld fires which had remained a serious scourge to the environment.
“Fires have left large tracts of land destroyed,” she said.
“Human life and property are also lost in the process during the dry season every year.
“I urge all Zimbabweans to be conscious and not cause veld fires, especially during the drought years such as the current one being experienced.”
Minister Muchinguri-Kashiri said conserving natural resources was one such expensive move which required more funds.
She said the financial situation was worsened by the suspension of imports of hunted elephant trophies into the United States of America and hunted lions into Australia.
COMMENTS
Did we even lose this many during colonial days? Most of those horns and tusks went to China. Doesn’t that say something about the Chinese people?
Criminal syndicates to blame? Oh, so that means Zanu PF bigwigs.
I don’t believe these numbers for one minute. Large areas along the Kariba Lake shore have had most of their elephant poached over the last few years, plus most of the thousands of buffalo that once thrived there. The true numbers are been hidden! Why, because the ruling party cadres are involved up to their eyeballs. There is not one, so called indeginous tribe on the planet, that has so little respect for their wildlife heritage, than Africans. Driven by greed that suits the yellow people down to the ground.
There is only one syndicate that can do all these atrocities in Zimbabwe, that syndicate is ZANU PF government. They are so corrupt, you Opha Muchinguri Rushesha Kashiri included. In Zimbabwe no one can ever a gun or even a knoife since any kind of metal in anyone’s hand is considered a threat against the god of Zimbabwe, Robert Gabriel Mugabe. Only the like of chinese linked to ZANU PF run willingly with every sort they want, hence they can easily take such huge animal out or kill it. The noise that the lion caused what about the noise caused by this guy with a bottle of some chemicals allegedly to be weaponry of destruction. It cause such a striae.
Whether the government is the main player, no syndicates could operate without their knowledge and tacit approval. So it’s Catch-22 – we need the money from hunting revenue, but the bans won’t be lifted until there is effective law enforcement and there can’t be effective law enforcement if the government is involved…and we need the money from hunting revenue…
If the Govt is not involved and truly in a position to protect these valuable animals they would by now found a solution. But again now they are worried about the $9bn value of the Ivory instead of tracking the missing $15bn. Can I just make a suggestion if the Professors of the country will ever listen, kindly remove the police stupid road blocks, arm them protect these animals and stop this nonsense from our dusty roads.