17 December 2009, 01:09
KathiCITES chief to meet Mugabe over poaching
CITES chief to meet Mugabe over poaching
http://www.zimonline.co.za/by Own Correspondent Wednesday 16 December 2009
HARARE - CITES secretary general Willem Wijnstekers is expected in Zimbabwe
next month for talks with President Robert Mugabe over rampant poaching
decimating wildlife in the southern African country and said to involve top
politicians and army officials.
A senior official at the government's Department of National Parks and
Wildlife Management told ZimOnline that the Convention on International
Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) official was
also expected to meet Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa, police chief
Augustine Chihuri and Attorney General Johannes Tomana.
Wijnstekers will discuss with Mnangagwa the alleged involvement of senior
military officers in poaching while he seeks to establish from Chihuri and
Tomana security measures put in place to curb illegal killing of protected
wildlife and measures taken against those caught poaching including the
levels of sentencing.
"CITES secretary general Willem Wijnstekers will be visiting Zimbabwe next
month," said the wildlife official, who spoke on condition he was not named.
The official said CITES has made it clear ahead of Wijnstekers' visit that
it was concerned at "the high levels of poaching of endangered species in
the country".
The official said: "Wijnstekers has indicated that he wants to meet the
defence minister because of the alleged involvement of senior army officials
in poaching. He wants to meet the police commissioner and the attorney
general to get a clear picture on the levels of sentencing imposed and also
discuss what sort of deterrent measures can be put in place against
poachers."
According to the government official the exact dates of meetings between
Wijnstekers and Zimbabwe officials were expected to be finalised during the
United Nations climate summit underway in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Poaching has been rife in Zimbabwe since landless black villagers began
invading - with tacit approval from the government - white-owned farms and
game conservancies over the past nine years.
Some of the country's biggest state-owned nature and game conservancies
including Gonarezhou national park that forms part of the Great Limpopo
Transfrontier straddling across Zimbabwe, Mozambique and South Africa have
large parts occupied by villagers.
In many cases farm invaders poach animals for meat and cut down trees for
sale as firewood mostly to people living in urban areas.
But there has also been an upsurge in the poaching of endangered species
such as the rhino targeted for its horn that is exported mainly to China and
Vietnam where it is in huge demand. International syndicates working with
local gangs are said to be behind rhino poaching.
A joint-report released by the International Union for Conservation of
Nature (IUCN) and wildlife trade monitoring network, TRAFFIC, about two
weeks ago estimated that Zimbabwe's rhino population had declined by an
alarming 14.7 percent since 2007 due to poaching.
There have also been reports of illegal and uncontrolled trophy hunting on
former white-owned conservancies now controlled by powerful government
officials and members of Mugabe's ZANU PF party politicians.
The government however denies politicians are illegally hunting game and
insists it still has poaching under control. - ZimOnline
17 December 2009, 08:48
kibokolambogoSome people are naive!
Mugabe is responsible for mass killings, vote rigging, land grabbing etc. etc. and the CITES chief's concern about
poaching is going to strike a soft spot on Mugabe?
17 December 2009, 09:14
86thecatquote:
Originally posted by mrlexma:
Is Mugabe listed on CITES Appendix I or Appendix II?
They do say that sport hunting is the solution to poaching. Certain trophies on the wall could be a very good part of the solution.
17 December 2009, 10:53
Andrew McLarenquote:
Originally posted by jetdrvr:
Black empowerment really works great! Zimbabwe is such a fantastic example of success!
jetdrvr, Well said!
for your wording. Or should it be
for the truth?, Whatever, methinks that Hendrik French Verwoerd could not say it any better!
Chief of CITES going to Uncle Bob simply lends credibility to him as the illegal non-elected but remained in power by force after loosing [despite vote rigging] a reasonably 'free and fair'? election!
Why does he not go and see the actual 'winner' of the elections?
What can he
actually do once the involved politicians and senior army officers have told him a lot of lies?
Andrew McLaren
17 December 2009, 11:20
shakariYou think that's funny, I've just seen Mugabe lecturing the Global Warming Conference in Copenhagen about how they need to pay the African and other lesser (his words, not mine) nations bucketfuls of money so they can pay for their own environmental clean up operations.
I'm sure ol' Mad Bob will be delighted to put their money to good use in his Swiss bank accounts!
The sad thing is, you can bet your life those useless tossers we call politicians will make yet more massive donations!
17 December 2009, 11:30
jetdrvrAny credibility the Global Warming Conference might, and I say might, have had, went out the window the moment Mad Bob stood up to address it. Policicians are the scum of the earth, be they African or American, or anything in between.
17 December 2009, 12:17
David Hulme[QUOTE]Originally posted by jetdrvr:
Policicians are the scum of the earth[/ QUOTE]
17 December 2009, 12:44
TrophyShotPrintsquote:
Originally posted by kibokolambogo:
Some people are naive!
Mugabe is responsible for mass killings, vote rigging, land grabbing etc. etc. and the CITES chief's concern about
poaching is going to strike a soft spot on Mugabe?
You pretty much summed it up for me..
well said...
The TRUTH hurts doesn't it? I know it does for me many atimes!!!
I wish that part of the country well is all I'm about to say! Its real TOUGH there no doubt,,,
