Army moves in to protect endangered rhino

April 29, 2009

rhino A rhino after the horn has been hacked off.

By Owen Chikari

MASVINGO – The Zimbabwe National Army has deployed troops at the country’s sanctuaries as it emerged that the Convention on International Trade on Endangered Species (CITES) is mulling a censure of Harare for allegedly allowing the loss of over 80 rhinos in less than 12 months.

Zimbabwe has lost the endangered rhino species to poachers as the Department of National Parks and Wildlife battles to curb the illegal killing of animals in the country’s national parks and conservancies.

Parks and wildlife officials yesterday said that they had sought the assistance of the army in order to prevent the extinction of some endangered species through poaching.

“We have deployed troops to each sanctuary especially the Hwange and Gonarezhou national parks”, said an official with the department. He requested anonymity as he has no authority to speak to the press.

“We have been battling to curb the illegal killing of animals as it has emerged that poachers are well equipped and doing (controlling them on our own) alone had become difficult”.

The director-general in the Department of Parks and Wildlife Morris Mutsambiwa has confirmed that Harare risks being censured by CITES for allegedly losing several animals species through poaching in a very short period of time.

“We risk being censured by CITES because we have lost over 80 rhinos in less than 12 months which is a very big number,” said Mutsambiwa.

National Parks is the agency of government responsible for managing Zimbabwe’s nine main public parks and the wildlife throughout the country, including the ownership of all black rhino whether on government or private land. The country’s main parks are Nyanga Chimanimani, Chizarira, Gonarezhou, Hwange, Kazuma Pan, Mana Pools, Matusadona and Zambezi.

Under CITES countries that are signatories to the convention have to meet certain standards among them protecting endangered species to ensure that they do not face extinction.

According to Mutsambiwa rampant poaching in the country’s sanctuaries has made it difficult for Harare to meet some of CITES’s conditions.

In a desperate attempt to stop the killing of rhino by poachers in Zimbabwe, a dehorning policy was introduced by National Parks and Wildlife Management. Unfortunately, this policy has been a failure as poachers continued to kill the de-horned animals.

Meanwhile, the department has taken over the care of a pride of 16 of lions at Lions Farm 20 kilometres east of Masvingo city. The owner of the property Mike Sparrow was recently forced to evacuate by suspected war veterans.

Sparrow who is believed to have fled to South Africa abandoned the lion project after being harassed by the suspected war veterans. One of them has since moved into his farm house.

The animals were left for weeks without care as the invaders did not know how to handle them.

The Minister of Environment and natural resources Francis Nhema has already instructed the department to take over the lion project.

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One Response to “Army moves in to protect endangered rhino”

1

Abbie Mphisa says:

April 29, 2009 at 9:26 pm

If their past record is anything to go by, the army will not protect these animals. They are more dangerous than the poachers. Ask the Mozambiqueans. Very soon there shall not be any rhinos left.

We are told Minister Nhema has instructed the ill equipped department of national parks to take over the project of looking after these lions. Would it not have been easier to allow the owner to keep his property? Why do we have the tendency to always shoot ourselves in the foot?