Visit The Publisher's Site
SW Radio Africa (London)
3 July 2007
Tichaona Sibanda

The Zimbabwe Conservation Taskforce estimates that close to a million wild animals on farms, private game ranches and conservancies, have been killed since the farm invasions began in 2000.
Chairman of the animal welfare group, Johnny Rodrigues, told Newsreel on Tuesday that farm seizures ordered by Robert Mugabe's regime seven years ago triggered massive attacks on wildlife and a huge decline in numbers on private farms and conservancies.

A report released by the ZCT on Sunday said the drop also closely followed a dramatic decline in the number of the country's privately owned wildlife ranches, which the group blamed on government land policy. Rodrigues said they based their estimations on the fact that there were 620 private game farms prior to the land invasions, but only 14 are left today.
'Before the land invasions we also had 14 conservancies but we have only got one left which is the Save Valley Conservancy,' Rodrigues said.
Zimbabwe is home to some of Africa's largest game reserves but experts say several animal species such as impala, warthog, kudu and wildebeest are at risk from rampant poaching by people struggling with hunger and rising poverty and from cross-border trophy hunters. The welfare group said it studied 62 farms, 59 of which reported wildlife losses totalling 42,236 animals including lion, elephant, python and blue duiker that were already on the list of endangered animals.
'If 60 farms can lose 42 000 animals you can imagine the scale of destruction if you were to add animals slaughtered from 620 farms,' said Rodrigues.
ZCT estimates that an average of over 900 animals were killed from each farm largely to be sold as meat by the war veterans who seized the farms.
'Most of what was slaughtered found its way to bush meat markets where it was sold cheaply to consumers and this partly set off the country's economic meltdown,' he said.

quote:

'Most of what was slaughtered found its way to bush meat markets where it was sold cheaply to consumers and this partly set off the country's economic meltdown,' he said.

Very sad but true... however I don't think this set off the economic meltdown as much as it was a result of it.

quote:

Originally posted by Bwanamich:

Chairman of the animal welfare group, Johnny Rodrigues

Johnny Rodrigues has been discussed on this forum in the past. Look up the name.