Wildlife Authority moves to curb poaching

By Reason Mpofu

THE Parks and Wildlife Management Authority is set to establish an inspectorate to curb illegal activities that have rocked the wildlife industry, Chronicle has learnt.

The establishment of the inspectorate comes in the wake of reports of massive poaching especially of the rhino and zebra species.
In some instances live animals have been smuggled into neighbouring countries.
The move will see the authority’s officials being deployed at border posts, airports and working with the Zimbabwe Republic Police at roadblocks.
In a recent interview, the authority’s public relations manager, Retired Major Edward Mbewe, said the establishment of the inspectorate was meant to stem leakages being experienced in the wildlife industry.
‘‘We will be having our officers at all the border posts and the airports,†he said.
“To date we have been having plain-clothed officers especially at Beitbridge border post. In addition to that we will soon have uniformed officers deployed at these points,†he said.
Rtd Maj Mbewe said in some instances, smugglers were using fake documents.
“Most of the smugglers use unauthentic documents which at times are issued by local authorities. Most of these do not have the parks date stamps. The police manning the roadblocks might innocently let them pass through. That is why we are now saying let our officer be at the exit points and roadblocks. Where border patrols are also being undertaken we will also be there,†he said.
Rtd Maj Mbewe said the authority would also carry out sporadic inspections.
“These illegal activities are getting more organised each passing day. This means that we also have to come up with operations that can easily combat such activities, meaning that we will time and again launch operations without even notifying anyone,†he said.
On Wednesday, the authority’s western region office embarked on a four-day tour of various wildlife farms in Matabeleland South prior to the launch of the inspectorate offices in the province.
They are expected to visit Gwanda and Beitbridge districts as part of the tour.
Meanwhile, the authority is investigating reports that some local authorities were facilitating the poaching of some zebra species by hiring people to kill them as “problem animalsâ€.
The allegations came in the wake of an incident in Lupane involving a Kusile Rural District Council employee who was in the local authority’s Campfire department.
In a recent interview, Kusile Rural District Council chief executive officer, Mr Mhlaseli Mpofu, confirmed the incident and said the local authority was made to pay a fine for the offence.
“It is true that such an incident indeed took place. One of our guys from the Campfire is understood to have entered a deal with some hunters but they did not have the proper documents. The hunter had come as part of the problem animal control exercise. The matter only came to our attention when they were arrested and found in possession of the zebra skins,’’ said Mr Mpofu.
He said the wildlife authority argued that it was not necessary to kill the zebras. “The zebras were reported to be causing havoc in fields in the Gwampa area. It is parks’ argument that we could have simply scared the animals away rather than kill them,†said Mr Mpofu.
He said the council was made to pay a fine of $7 million.
“They also threatened to withdraw our annual hunting quotas should we be involved in such clandestine deals in future,†added Mr Mpofu. He said the officer involved in the deal had already been dealt with.
Zebra species, because of their skin that is fetching about R15 000 in neighbouring South Africa, have become the most sought after species in the country in recent months.