Trashing Zim’s wildlife: an eyewitness account
http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/

Written by The Zimbabwean
Friday, 22 January 2010 08:06
A top member of the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF) visits Kariba
and is shocked to discover how drunk and ill-behaved youngsters are being
allowed to trash one of the country’s most important game conservancies –
all for the love of cash.
In this account the ZCTF members also gives details of reported cases of
illegal hunting to show how Zimbabwe’s wildlife is being laid to waste by a
few but very powerful individuals motivated by greedy: On the 21st of
December, we went to Kariba and stayed at Nzou Lodges, close to the NAU
Charara site where the infamous party takes place. We never take a radio or
a TV there because it seems almost sacrilegious to disturb the peacefulness
and natural silence of the bush with music. Until the 29th of December,
there were very few people there and it was wonderful to sit quietly
listening to the beautiful sounds of nature. We were very lucky because
there was a herd of 11 bull elephants in the vicinity for the duration of
our stay and every night, we were treated to a visit from one or two of
these majestic beasts, walking right past our cottage.
Then on the 30th of December, the peacefulness was abruptly shattered. The
disco was set up in Charara and the party-goers starting arriving. Cars,
motor bikes and quad bikes were screaming up and down the dirt roads and the
silence was replaced with the continuous thump-thumping of music emanating
from the disco, the cottages and the cars. Pick-ups loaded to the hilt with
teenagers, waving drinks in the air, shouting and cheering, drove recklessly
past the elephants and the hippos. On New Year's Eve, we arranged for a
young ZCTF (Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force) member to attend the party. He
reported that the ages of the party-goers ranged from about 13 to 18 and
children who were obviously much younger than 18 were buying alcohol from
the bar.

Strictly no fireworks?
He could smell the unmistakable aroma of marijuana and in the early hours of
the 1st of January, many of these young people were sprawled all over the
ground in a semi-comatose state. He saw one young couple copulating in the
dirt behind a car, in full view of people walking by. At midnight, fireworks
were set off, in blatant disregard of the signs at the entrance of Charara
"Strictly no fireworks." We were deeply saddened by this total lack of
respect for the wildlife.
According to our member, a police detail was present but they did
practically nothing. They sprang into action once when a fight broke out but
otherwise remained inconspicuously in the background. They were not in the
least concerned about the ages of the children buying alcohol or about the
setting off of fireworks.We noticed a change in the behaviour of the 11
elephants. They seemed to be aggravated and confused, flapping their ears
and trumpeting. We watched anxiously from a distance as one bull
mock-charged a car full of youngsters, knowing that if he had carried out
the charge, somebody could have been hurt or killed and then the elephant
would have been classified as a problem animal and shot.
We have tried to put a stop to this party or at least to have it moved to a
location closer to Kariba town, away from the main wildlife preserve and we
will carry on trying. The problem is, the party is a money spinner for the
organisers, the National Anglers' Union who obviously feel that making money
takes priority over everything else. It may surprise them to know that some
things are more important than money.

Buffalo shot
We have received a report from a disgusted South Africa tourist who spent
three weeks in Charara just before Christmas. He was fishing in Charara
watching two buffalo grazing contentedly when suddenly, a contingent of
National Parks staff members appeared in a landrover and shot them, in full
view of the tourist. He reported the matter to the Charara National Parks
officials who nervously told him that they had instructions from officials
in Harare "to get meat to the fat cats there." On his way back to Harare, he
stopped behind a National Parks landrover at a road block. The landrover was
full of fresh meat, some of which was given to the police manning the road
block. According to Charara residents, last year there were 96 buffalo in
the Charara area and at the last count 2 weeks ago, there are only 65 left.

Illegal hunting
Over the past 10 years, we have been circulating reports about the
decimation of the wildlife in Zimbabwe and in so doing, we have been accused
of sensationalism, alarmism, exaggeration, being an "enemy of the state" and
even downright lying. We have stated several times in the past that once
most of the animals on the private game ranches had been slaughtered, the
poachers and illegal hunters would turn to the "protected" National Parks
for their ill-gotten gains. The increasing number of reports we are
receiving with regard to illegal hunting and poaching within the National
Parks is cause for grave concern. Several incidences have been reported to
the Director General of National Parks who, to date, has failed to respond.
The problem with illegal hunting within a National Park is that it cannot
take place without the assistance of National Parks officials and there are
many cases where they are involved, either for personal gain or because they
are following orders from more senior officials or politicians. We have a
list of people, some very high profile, whose names regularly appear in
reports received. If anyone would like to see the names, please contact us.

Robins Camp
In July 2009, 5 Romanian hunters, a professional hunter and a National Parks
official were arrested for illegally hunting elephant in Robins Camp, Hwange
National park . The case was never finalized. The culprits were released and
their equipment returned, it is believed upon instructions from the Minister
of Tourism and Natural Resources. In October 2009, a South African
professional hunter admitted that his French client had bow hunted an
elephant in the Robins area and that he had paid USD5 000 , which went into
the pocket of the head warden to enable his client to hunt within the
National Park.

Sikumi Forest
In August 2009, an American hunter illegally shot an elephant with a bow and
arrow in Sikumi Forest, using watermelons as bait to lure the elephant out
of Hwange National Park. The hunt was conducted by a South African
professional hunter in collaboration with a Zimbabwean professional hunter
and the American was apparently unaware that the hunt was illegal. The
hunting party was guilty of hunting without permission in Sikumi Forest, bow
hunting without the necessary permit and using bait to attract the elephant.
The South African professional hunter paid USD2 000 to the Zimbabwean
professional hunter and USD2 000 to the concession holder to facilitate the
hunt and the American client was assured that everything was legal and above
board. These reports are just a small percentage of the reports we have
received and all names are available upon request.

Rhinos poisoned
War veterans near Humani Estates in Chiredzi have resorted to poisoning
rhinos since they have failed to make a success out of the farm lands they
were allocated in 2000. A spokesman said that the war vets are placing
poisoned cabbages at animal drinking points so that the animals will eat
them when they come to drink. He said that most of them are working as
agents for South African based rhino horn dealers who have flooded the area
with firearms. He claimed that they are even poisoning some small dams in
the area in the hope that the rhinos will drink from them.

Kathi...I hope you never stop posting this stuff...

This is critical stuff and stuff we need to know and realize that it's going on...

How sad...

Is anyone really surprised, the way things have been going downhill there for years? Nothing less than total destruction will satify these scum.

And then they stand, cap in hand, begging, because the bastard white colonialists reduced them to penury, by stealing their land, knowledge, cell phones and whatever. Then bleeding heart liberal wankers tax the hell out of their idiot electorate {who voted them in } and then hand over piles of cash. The cash is then used for presidential palaces,luxury German motor vechiles and so forth, fifth, sixth etc.

quote:

Kathi...I hope you never stop posting this stuff...

This is critical stuff and stuff we need to know and realize that it's going on...

How sad...

And by my sources...TRUE!