Zimbabwe: $3bn Reward Offered

Published by the government of Zimbabwe

The Herald (Harare)

30 November 2007
Posted to the web 30 November 2007

Harare

The National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority has set a $3 billion reward for anyone with information leading to the arrest of poachers who shot and killed three rhinos at Imire Game Park outside Marondera early this month.

The reward comes when the country is experiencing poaching on its national and private parks despite the fact that the authority has dehorned all the country's rhinos to protect them against poachers. In a statement, the authority said the reward had been set aside to encourage people with information on the incident to open up and help it to close on the poachers and help secure the country's wildlife.


"Following the rhino poaching incident that took place recently at Imire Game Park, the parks authority has set aside a sum of $3 billion to be given as reward to the person who provides information which will lead to the arrest and conviction of the three suspected poachers who killed the rhinos," it read. A fortnight ago, suspected poachers strayed into Imire Game Park, shot and killed three rhinos leaving a baby rhino. In an earlier interview, parks spokesperson Retired Major Edward Mbewe said the move to weed out poachers in the country would be intensified following the increase in incidences of poaching in the country's wildlife parks.

"Our duty is to protect the country's wildlife and as a result we will not tire until such elements are brought to book. As parks, we are greatly disturbed by the pockets of rhino poaching that have been recorded in the country recently despite the fact that the authority dehorned all the rhinos in the country.

I heard about this incident while hunting buffalo with Gordon Duncan, Shangaan hunters in south of Save mid Nov.
The general opinion was that as the (Mugabe controlled) War vets and Land claimers hasn't dared to get in control of farms that are involved in WWF project saving the Black Rhino, they have now changed tactic.

There are really not many farms left to claim and as the Mugabe boys are facing the end of that story, the last few in the top of the ZANU-PF that are not in control of a farm are now desperate.
So, why not kill the Rhinos, then there are no project left for WWF, because the rhinos are dead - so it would be just another free of charge farm to take control off!

Makes sence? Yes for Mr Mugabe!

So how much is 3 billion Zimbabwe dollars? About $25 USD?

Grumulkin

Not far off, US$1500.

Dave

$1500 today maybe but wait a week to claim the reward and it will harldy be worth the effort.

I can imagine, the poacher's were maybe frustrated at having tracked the rhino, only to find they were de-horned and shot them so that they did not have to waste time tracking them again. I have heard of this before as being one reason why de-horned rhinos were shot by poachers!

I think that my above-stated reason would probably not apply to this case however, since just about any poacher would have known that the rhinos were dehorned, at least on a private game reserve just outside Marondera I would have thought! I have never heard of rhino being shot for bush-meat, but who knows? Maybe the reasons could be classified as 'other' in this case!

quote:

Originally posted by Nzou:
I can imagine, the poacher's were maybe frustrated at having tracked the rhino, only to find they were de-horned and shot them so that they did not have to waste time tracking them again. I have heard of this before as being one reason why de-horned rhinos were shot by poachers!

They went in and shot the Rhinos in a small boma, the only surviving Rhino was a small calf. They where not after horns. Just kill the Rhinos so that a high ranked war vet could take over the farm..

Actually 3,000,000,000 Zimbabwe dollars at today's exchange rate comes to $100,031.68 US. This came from http://www.xe.com/ucc/