via Conservationist found axed to death in Zimbabwe | News24 2015-04-09
Harare – A conservationist working with endangered painted dogs near Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park has been found battered to death in his cottage, friends said on Thursday.
Gregory Gibbard, an Australian who had worked for some time as an administrator for Painted Dog Conservation, was axed to death on Tuesday night, a friend told News24.
“He was hit twice in the head apparently, with what sounds to have been an axe,” the friend, who asked not to be identified, said in a telephone interview.
“It is assumed that the motive was robbery but this kind of attack is excessively unusual in Zimbabwe,” he added.
Gibbard’s cottage is located near Hwange airport, just outside Hwange National Park, which is in the west of Zimbabwe.
Police are understood to be investigating but there are no reports of arrests so far.
Painted Dog Conservation said in a brief statement: “It comes with great sadness that we need to inform you that one of our founding PDC Inc members and friend Greg Gibbard… was tragically murdered on Tuesday night at the project headquarters.”
‘Tragic’
Friends took to Facebook to express their shock at Gibbard’s murder.
“Goodbye my dear friend. So sorry. Wish we had a chance to have spoken one more time,” said Colin Yapp.
Sharon Stead wrote: “Absolutely tragic – his death has rocked the Hwange community.”
Painted dogs are also known as African wild dogs. They are among the continent’s most endangered wildlife species.
In its February newsletter Painted Dog Conservation spoke movingly of the links forged between the NGO and the local community, whose head was only identified as Chief Nelukoba. Fifty members of the community have recently volunteered to be part of anti-poaching and anti-snaring patrols, the newsletter said.
“Painted Dog Conservation has been operating there for a long time,” Gibbard’s friend confirmed on Thursday.
COMMENTS
OMG! Who fuels such violence against whites, now in the conservation industry? RIP. Watch those hungry for attention in Hwange and Bulawayo jump on to this one now. GOODBYE TOURISTS. Elephants and murders, even I would not go there now.
How tragic in an area of such dire need in Zim!Condolences to family and friends.
The main words to focus on in the above article? “Gregory Gibbard was involved in anti-snaring patrols.”
Poachers, snarers, or whatever one wants to call them, this was still an horrific crime.
Our country has gone to the dogs, with no rule of law whatsoever.
Barbaric!
My condolences to the deceased and his family, this is an appalling murder. Sorry @pam I find your comment quite ignorant, infact very typical white ignorant!!! A murder is a murder regardless of colour, many people of all races are murdered on a regular basis in and around Southern Africa, the fact that the victim happened to be white makes it no more or less a crime it just happens to sensationalize the issue. The B-Metro reported recently a far more gruesome crime in the same area and it never made such great news!! 8 Journalists in Paris brings world leaders together yet 147 black students in Kenya hardly get a mention??? And I am white African before you ask!!!!
You are correct that “a murder is a murder”. God gives life, and vile man takes it. However, @Pam is incorrect only in the supposition that the act was perpetuated because of race. Perhaps not. The investigation has not concluded the reason. My guess is the policia will name the cause as anything else… no matter what they find.
I would, however, ask @Pam what her comment would have been had the events concluded that a white man had killed a black man. I would hope a similar horror would be expressed… especially, if colour was the supposed reason for the act.
However, Zim has become known for it’s violence against whites in some districts… simply because of the colour of their skin. Mugabe railes against whites at every opportunity, enticing the weak-minded among the racist blacks to target whites with violence. This is beyond deniable. The Mugabes and their ilk who so entice others, no matter their colour, have culpability… and they will pay eternally with their unrepentant souls.
As for the 147 students, I don’t know what news outlets you choose, but obviously you should change if your source gave only slight coverage. The news of those who were murdered by Islamist terrorists because those students were identified by the terrorists as “Christian”, or at least “non-Islamist”, was well-reported by most international news agencies. Those kids were slaughtered because of religious beliefs, not because of race.
Violence against a person or persons simply because of race, religion, ethnicity, is a genocide… and a day of reckoning is promised for those who so take the lives God has given.
@ Fallenz I agree entirely lets see @Pms reaction when it’s the other way around?? I personally can recall some horrendous crimes committed by “whites” after independence against perceived “poachers” of wild life, most of these guys were merely trying to put bread on the table whilst the likes of Pam (sorry Pam nothing personnel)ate cake on a houseboat!!!
In Paris a handful of journalists were dunned down in the name of religion and world leaders gathered?? Kenya 147 black students and all they get are condolences from heads of state??? You cannot compare the outcries I’m sorry!!