No surprise....

Over 200 Black Rhinos Translocated

The Herald (Harare)
NEWS
October 5, 2005
Posted to the web October 5, 2005

By Tsitsi Matope
Harare

POACHERS have killed several black rhinos at Gourlays Farm in Matabeleland North, forcing Government to move in and urgently translocate more than 200 animals of the endangered species.

In the past few days, the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority has translocated 35 black rhinos and is working out modalities to move the remainder. This follows the arrest of a poacher in neighbouring Botswana who was selling a rhino horn believed to have been removed from an animal killed in the Gourlays Farmarea.

Parks wardens also found two black rhinos with wire snares and now believe that some locals could be working in cahoots with foreigners. All in all, Zimbabwe has about 800 black rhinos in protected conservancies.

In an interview yesterday, Secretary for Environment and Tourism Mrs Margaret Sangarwe said a directive had since been issued to the authority to move in fast and rescue the black rhinos before they are poached out.

"We want them removed from closer to our borders as soon as possible to curb poaching of one of the most endangered species in the country. There is urgent need to place them in areas where they can easily be monitored and are secured," Mrs Sangarwe said.

She said the rhinos' movements in Gourlays Farm area could not easily be monitored or detected as they have no horn or collar transmitters because they were then confined to a conservancy, which was deemed a safe area before some new farmers settled in the vicinity. It is understood some of the black rhinos were now straying into nearby farms and sometimes carcasses were discovered outside the conservancy.

"Wildlife management is a national issue and when we notice that our animals are under threat, they can be moved to any other places identified as safe. The resettled communities who might have different views on this matter need to be made aware of what our wildlife protection laws say and also take cognisant of the fact that no money to benefit them is generated from the rhinos since they cannot be hunted," she said.

Mrs Sangarwe said they expected minimal problems in the translocation and settling as rhinos, by nature of being grazers, can easily adapt to a new environment.

Parks and Wildlife Management Authority public relations manager Retired Major Edward Mbewe said teams were on the ground to monitor the situation and to identify other safe areas where the rhinos would be temporarily translocated.

"We have so far moved from the danger zone, 35 rhinos to the Bubi River Conservancy, where we are convinced the animals will be safe before we move them to Gonarezhou National Park, where we would like them to stay permanently," Rtd Maj Mbewe said.

He said currently, it was impossible for them to move the animals to Gonarezhou as there was need to upgrade the park before they replenish it with more animals. Parks needs more than $2 trillion for the upgrading of the whole Gonarezhou with more than $2 billion urgently needed to upgrade the gravel roads.

Rtd Maj Mbewe said so far, the team had reported that it had identified another habitat for some of the rhinos to stay temporarily at Ingwe Farm.

He said it was important for local communities to bear in mind that their settling in various conservancy areas did not automatically make them owners of animals they find in those mega parks.

"All animals still belong to the Government and the settlers' responsibility is to strengthen the Parks Authority's efforts to protect those animals from poaching. The animals can be translocated to animal-depleted areas or any other conducive areas if need arises."

The country has a population of 550 black rhinos and 230 white rhinos.

Does anything like this from Zimbabwe surprise us?

It's a sad thing. That was Richard Pascall's old place. When he owned it the rhino were safe. I spent the better part of the summer of 2001 at that ranch and he had his anti-poaching patrol working around the clock to make sure the war vets left the animals alone. I talked to him last year in Bulawayo and he felt the only hope of him getting his ranch back was the rhino. It's too bad that was a beautiful place.

quote:

Mrs Sangarwe said they expected minimal problems in the translocation and settling as [black] rhinos, by nature of being grazers, can easily adapt to a new environment.

Actually the black rhino is a browser, the white rhino is a grazer feeding on grasses. Whatever, I hope they are safe(er).

Is "Bubi River Conservancy" the Bubiana Conservancy?

I wonder who "owns" or occupies those farms now?