ZimParks arrests 629 poachers

 THE Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Authority (ZimParks) has recorded 842 poacher incursions into the country for the first half of this year, with 629 poachers having been arrested, the Daily News on Sunday reports.

ZimParks spokesperson Tinashe Farawo, pictured, said out of the 629 arrests, there were 13 cases of armed conflict that resulted in three deaths.

 “From these cases, we managed to recover 10 riffles, 110 rounds of ammunition, 39 pieces of ivory and 17 rhino horns. The reason why we have been able to intensify our efforts and be successful is that we now have improved technology.

“We have been using technology, including drones, to monitor activities in our national parks and we have been able to detect poachers encroaching into the parks and respond swiftly,” Farawo said.

 

He added that collaborative work with other countries had also assisted in the fight against poaching.

“We have been working with other countries to combat poaching because most of the country’s wildlife parks are near borders. So, we have transfrontier conservation areas, including the Greater Limpopo Transfrontier Park and the Chimanimani Transfrontier Conservation Area. Collaborative efforts have assisted us fight poaching,” he said.

“We have also been working with local communities and increased communal awareness on the dangers of poaching.”

Farawo recently said 50 people had died after being attacked by wild animals across the country in the first seven months of the year, while several others were injured as cases of human-wildlife conflict continue to increase.

 “So far, 50 people have died as a result of human and wildlife conflict. They were attacked by animals including hyenas, lions, crocodiles, buffalos and elephants. The elephants accounted for 50 percent of the deaths.

“In addition, 40 people have been injured and some of them sustained serious injuries to the extent that they can no longer provide for their families.

“The increase in human and wildlife conflict is a result of overpopulation where we have more wild animals encroaching human settlements sometimes in search of food and water,” Farawo said.

He added that there was an urgent need for a depopulation exercise in order to reduce the number of people succumbing to human and wildlife conflict.

“The number of wild animals is increasing while the number of people is also increasing.’’

Source: ZimParks arrests 629 poachers (16/08/20)