Zimbabwe -- Wildlife Notice Board 11 June 2002 by the "Voice for the Voiceless" Lobby Group

It is estimated that 50% of wildlife from both single game farms and game ranches have been slaughtered to date since land invasions started.

It is estimated that Zimbabwe had a population of approximately 300 Black Rhino, to date, 48 black rhino have been poached. We have also received reports that recently there has been an influx into the orient of Rhino products.. The source appears to be the Zimbabwe area.

Gourlays Farm - National parks have been allowed to pump water again for the rhino.

Tashinga - two rhino have been poisoned, but survived and a third one was poached.

Police, army and National Parks have been patrolling in the area, which has resulted in a number of arrests.

Police and National Parks have been patrolling a number of properties in the area, which has also resulted in a number of arrests and a large number of snares uplifted.

Victory Block (between Raffingora and Mvurwi) a pregnant sable cow was driven into a dam by a group of settlers and 17 dogs. The animal was eventually killed. A report was made to the police.

It must be noted that there are five properties in this area that are "no go" area's so we are unable to get any statistics.

Vehicle number 686-753T was seen leaving the property with two Kudu, three impala and one duiker.

Midlands Conservancy - A Mr Trevor Nickel is doing hunts for War Vets and settlers in the area. Be aware.

Midlands - Four of the game ranchers in the area have lost 80% of their wildlife. The others that have the original owners, that have maintained some sort of control have lost between 40 to 50% of the wildlife. They are uplifting an average of 223 snares on one ranch per fortnight. It is believed to be on the increase and the actual land that is fast tracked there is zero game left. They understand that the police from Mvuma and the senior War Vets are behind the poaching. We have evidence were one of the ladies in the area was approached to skin and cut up the game that was shot.. She enquired where the meat was coming from and was told to keep quiet.. She turned the offer down. The meat from this area is being sold in Bulawayo. This game is being shot not snared.. well organised poaching.

In the Kariba area alone, since the elections 33 Elephants have been poached (shot).

The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force - Johnny Rodrigues - forwarded documents to the Canadian Prime Minister and here is a copy of his reply:-

Sent: Wednesday, May 29, 2002 8:16 PM Subject: Conservation on Wildlife in Zimbabwe

On behalf of the Right Honourable Jean Chrétien, I would like to thank you for your e-mail, in which you raised an issue which falls within the portfolio of the Honourable Bill Graham, Minister of Foreign Affairs. The Prime Minister always appreciates receiving mail on subjects of importance to Canadians.

Please be assured that the statements you made have been carefully reviewed. I have taken the liberty of forwarding your e-mail to Minister Graham so that he too may be made aware of your comments. I am certain that the Minister will give your views every consideration.

The hardest hit conservation areas are the Save Valley Conservancy, the Chiredzi River Conservancy, the Bubye Valley Conservancy, and the Bubiana Conservancy. Between them they cover an area of 2,228,000 acres in the south-east of Zimbabwe. In some cases the whole viability of the conservancy has been threatened and some areas are now devoid of wildlife.

- The conservancies are now threatened with a massive deforestation of prime habitats and an intensive poaching programme as invaders illegally occupy the land. Snaring and hunting with dogs is constantly on the increase and arrested poachers have revealed that meat is moved out to external markets. The anti-poaching personnel are continuously intimidated and their effectiveness is negligible. Properties have been burnt out, trees cut down, tourists forced out of safari camps by irate war veterans, ranch scouts disarmed, intimidated, severely assaulted and even killed as they have attempted to perform their duties.

The 840,000 acre Save Valley Conservancy is one of Africa's largest conservancies. Since the invasions, about 25% of the conservancy has been almost fully occupied by settlers or is inaccessible to the land owners and their staff due to threats and intimidation from the occupiers. Over a period of just two months alone, 214 incidents were reported on the areas of Save which were still accessible to anti-poaching patrols. 5677 wire snares were recovered, 22 dogs shot and 94 poachers arrested. Deaf animals found totalled 450 comprising 208 impala, 112 kudu, 31 warthog, 3 water buck, 1 bush pig, 1 nyala, 6 bushbuck, 19 zebra, 9 wildebeest, 27 eland, 2 buffalo, 4 elephant, 1 duiker, 1 cheetah, 1 leopard, 1 giraffe, 20 small animals, 1 ostrich, 1 rhino calf, and 1 python.

Save supports about 1,200 elephant and has experienced an unprecedented growth rate of about 10% per annum of the black rhino, making it the most successful rhino breeding programme in Africa. There are now 200 black rhinos in these Lowveld conservancies and 50 white. Private farms and conservancies protect 70% of the national total of Rhinos. All rhino in Zimbabwe are state owned and the conservancies were amongst those specially chosen to be the government's guardians for these endangered creatures.

- On Bubiana, 200 animals have been recovered from the snares out of an estimated 30,000 killed in the past 18 months. Most of the animals found have died from starvation, thirst, infected wounds, or strangulation. Many have had only their limbs cut off for the poacher's pot leaving the rest of the carcass to wastefully rot. Zimbabwe has 410 species of birds and 386 have been sighted in Bubiana.

Today there are only three viable breeding populations left of the African Wild Dog - lycaon pictus. Altogether there are thought to be less than 5,000 individuals living mainly in South Africa's Kruger Park, Tanzania's Selous Game Reserve, and in Northern Botswana.

Zimbabwe had been slowly building up their populations in the conservancies and are thought to have about 250 individuals (accounting for 7% of the world total), but now, indiscriminate poaching is threatening their future in Zimbabwe.

Often when game guards do catch poachers, the enforcement of penalties has been negligible. It would appear that the police are no longer able to uphold the law, and one Senior Commissioner has confessed to having his 'hands tied' due to 'orders from above'.

West Nicholson Area - In a survey conducted by the Wildlife Producers Association in the west Nicholson area of Matabeleland South province by the Wildlife Producers Association over an 18 month period from March 2000 to September 2001, it was assessed that a total of 1,900 animals worth more than zd$60 million were snared and left to rot in the bush, while 13,413 wire snares costing zd$6 million for the wire, were recovered.

According to the owner of Chipizi Ranch, Mr. Ken Goosen, scouts on the ranch, which has a large variety of game built and nurtured over the years, have over the past three years collected more than 3 447 snares. In addition mass destruction of boundary game fences and damage to watering points has occurred, while environmental damage is also rampant.

Neighbouring ranches have also not been spared, neither has the Umzingwane River which is overrun by gold panners. Panning along the river has resulted in deep pits being dug in the riverbed and on the banks, and large trees have been felled by having soil dug out beneath their roots. Pollution, including plastic waste and human excretion has been left everywhere.

A snap membership survey by the Wildlife Producers Association showed the following trends: -

- Wildlife, especially in Matabeleland and Masvingo Provinces, has been under threat. Reports of an increase in poaching activities in these areas has been received with wildlife worth nearly $100 million having been lost from June to December 2001. The country's second largest conservancy, Bubiana, has experienced rampant poaching by settlers. Bubiana, which covers 15 farms in Masvingo and Matabeleland South, is home to the largest concentration of black rhino in Zimbabwe. By October last year, three rhino had been lost to poachers and at least half a dozen had been injured by wire snares. The conservancy was losing at least 100 animals per month.

The intensity of the silence emanating from most local and international organizations who purport to assist, protect, and inform on matters relating to the flora and fauna of any given country, is indeed ear splitting.

Quotation from a letter written by a Zimbabwean rancher and conservationist. He is frustrated by the apparent lack of public information, statistics, and photographs which these Agencies could be using to tell the world and people of Zimbabwe exactly what is happening to their heritage. The statistics and photographs are available, facts are available, but concern was raised whether any of it ever gets published.

To: *AfricaWatch;Cincinatus' Wife;Sarcasm;Travis McGee;Byron_the_Aussie; robnoel; GeronL;ZOOKER...

To: Great Dane; liliana; Alberta's Child; Entropy Squared; Rightwing Canuck; Loyalist; canuckwest...

Bump to Canadians.

Note that the letter to 'ti Jean mentioned in the article was simply passed on to Foreign Affairs and 'ti Jean's Executive Correspondence Officer sent back the usual type of form letter reply.

This from a Prime Minister who is making Africa his pet project in the G8 boondoggle in Alberta this month.

"I am certain that the minister will give your views every consideration."

....and the check is in the mail.....NOT!

The Lamp of Shawinigan will point out that first, he, JC, needs to stay on top before he can, you know, 'help dem out'.

So get to the back of the line, beggars, first come the 'needs' of your Benefactor.

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