Alleged Illegal Export of Elephants

 The March 2013 Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force Newsletter has reported the apparent illegal export of captive elephant and lion by the Victoria Falls Elephant Experience across the river to Zambia for use in elephant-back safaris and captive-animal interactions by the Mukuni Big 5 Experience:

"ALLEGED ILLEGAL EXPORT OF ELEPHANTS

"It has been rumoured that Elephant Experience in Victoria Falls have been exporting elephants to Zambia across the Zambezi under cover of darkness. We have also heard that they have been smuggling lion cubs across the border in the boot of a car. They are apparently assisted by Chief Mukuni who has a lodge on the Zambian side called Mukuni Big 5 Lodge.

"The Victoria Falls community has always had concerns about the location of Elephant Experience and due to this, in 2007, a meeting was held between Environment Africa, Environmental Management Agency, ZNSPCA, Victoria Falls Council and National Parks. Their concerns were about the degradation of the land occupied by Elephant Experience and lack of feeding and freedom for the elephants to express their natural behaviour. The conclusion of the meeting was that Elephant Experience had to find other, or more land but due to their contacts with the ruling party, nothing has ever been resolved." (available online here)

Whilst it remains to be seen if these are wild rumours or substantiated facts, the Elephant Experience operated from Victoria Falls has, as the reference states, been subject of much discussion and debate over the years. The operator originally gained permission to home a restricted number of captive elephants on a site just outside the Upper Zambezi National Park some years ago. Whilst the EIA stipulated a maximum number of elephants to limit impacts on the vegetation, it is understood that this maximum number has been exceeded for many years, and there has been widespread concern over the degradation of the site as a result. It is currently believed they have 11 captive elephants held on the site.

The owner, Basil Steyn, is a character of some note, as can be seen by any Google search. In 2009 it was uncovered that 10 elephants had been secretly captured from the wild the previous year in order to be trained into the tourism industry and were being held on Basil Steyn's Sondelani Ranch. Permits had been quietly obtained for the capture of 8 of the animals (two had been captured illegally). After the intervention of the ZNSPC it is believed these elephants were successfully released back into the wild. The discovery of the captured elephants followed the capture of twelve wild elephant calves from Hwange National Park in 2006 by Victoria Falls based tourism operator Shearwater Adventures, again for training into the elephant-back safari industry. These elephants still remain in captivity in Victoria Falls.

In 2009 Steyn exported seven elephants to Zambia, reportedly a gift authorised by the President of Zimbabwe, for the establishment of the Mukuni Big 5 captive-animal experience. 

Read more:

Victoria Falls Bits and Blogs (13/11/2006) Outcry over capture of wild elephants.

Seeing the light – Benefits to banning hunting in Botswana and Zambia

wildlifeextra.com
By Ian Michler

The recent decision by the governments of Botswana and Zambia to halt trophy hunting has been praised in some conservation circles in southern Africa. Ian Michler explains why.

Towards the end of last year the Botswana Government announced that trophy hunting will no longer be allowed on any state or community land from the end of 2013. The ban extends to what is known as ‘citizen hunting' for the pot and covers all species, including elephants. And then in early January this year the government of Zambia annulled the tender process for hunting concessions in 19 Game Management Areas (GMAs) and cancelled all hunting licences and quotas for at least one year. It also introduced an immediate and indefinite ban on the hunting of lions and leopards and committed to a thorough review of the hunting industry.

These are extremely sensible stands and both governments should be congratulated for their vision. Although taken independently, the decisions are based on similar factors that clearly indicate a further loss of support for trophy hunting as an effective wildlife management option.

Read the Full article here.

A Confusion of Stripes

Image by Peter Roberts
Written by Peter Roberts for the Zambezi Traveller
When it comes to the zebra’s stripes, it’s not all black and white...
The stripes of the zebra’s coat are one of the most distinctive and recognisable of all African animals. For many years scientists have hypothesised as to their purpose – temperature regulation, camouflage, or even to confuse predators - stripes were thought to confuse large carnivores. However, whilst recent research has provided evidence that the stripes deter biting insects, confusion over the zebra’s stripes is not just limited to their function, but also form.
Read the full article (there's much, much more!) in the March 2013 issue of the Zambezi Traveller here

The secrets of Hwange’s zebra

Image by: Peter Roberts
Written by Peter Roberts for the Zambezi Traveller

The Hwange Environmental Research Development programme of France’s National Centre for Scientific Research, run by Dr Hervé Fritz of the Lyons University, has been researching the dynamics of the Hwange ecosystem, covering the National Park and the community and Forestry lands nearby, since 1999.

Elephants dominate the ecology of Hwange, accounting for over ninety percent of the Park’s large herbivore biomass. Medium sized herbivores, such as zebra, occur in much lower population densities than those recorded in most other African systems. The Hwange zebra population density is one fiftieth of the density recorded in Serengeti.

Monitoring changes in populations involves identifying and following the life histories of individuals, and with zebra the researchers have a key to identifying each animal – its stripes. The exact pattern of the stripes on each zebra are unique, much like the human fingerprint or a bar-code.

Working from photographs, researchers are able to identify and monitor individuals within the population, allowing the project to follow the life histories of some 250 zebra over nine years. Through this work the team has been able to build up information on survival rates, reproductive patterns and harem dynamics.

The project has identified high mortality rates for foals and two to three year olds and is currently working with the Hwange Lion Research project looking at predation and other causes of mortality.

The researchers have also identified interesting social dynamics within the Hwange zebra population. Zebra stallions maintain harems, and Hwange’s social structure has been found to be more unstable than elsewhere. In Hwange it is unusual for a female to stay with the same male for more than three years, and as stallions are known to kill foals sired from previous mates, the team is now investigating infanticide rates within the population to see if this increased social fluidity has an unexpected cost in foal mortality.

Read the full article in the March 2013 issue of the Zambezi Traveller here

Victory for Zimbabwe elephant calves

Five elephant calves captured from the wild in Zimbabwe have been saved from a life of misery in Chinese zoos.

Due to campaigning from the Asia for Animals coalition in partnership with Zimbabwe animal welfare and conservation organisations, the elephant calves have been sent to the Umfurudzi national park where they will be rehabilitated for a life in the wild instead of experiencing a life of misery in a Chinese zoo/safari park.

This victory is somewhat bittersweet, as sadly four additional wild caught elephant calves arrived into China in November 2012. One of these has already died. Asia for Animals coalition members are offering advice and support to the zoos housing the remaining three elephants in the hope that we can improve their living conditions.

Source: Victory for Zimbabwe elephant calves (21/03/13)

Batoka Gorge Dam: to be or not to be?

The Batoka Gorge
Image Credit: Tom Varley

Written by Peter Roberts for the Zambezi Traveller

At the end of 2012 the Zambezi River Authority invited expressions of interest from companies interested in tendering for the development of the Batoka Gorge Hydro Electric Scheme, a joint initiative by the governments of Zambia and Zimbabwe and supported with funding from the World Bank. Sources expect the project to commence this year and reach completion by 2019.

Read the full article in the new issue of the Zambezi Traveller, available across the region and online here (external link, opens in a new window).

On the Old Hunter's Road

On the banks of the Linyanti
Image Credit: Tom Varley
Written by Peter Roberts for the Zambezi Traveller
At the turn of the last century Victoria Falls had only just appeared on the tourist map. Only known to the wider world since 1855, when David Livingstone made their existence popular knowledge, to reach the Victoria Falls required an expedition of many weeks, if not months, travelling overland by ox-cart along rough tracks through thick bush inhabited by wild and dangerous animals. Explorers, hunters and traders all made tracks towards the Falls, and before long a wagon road ran from the south. The Old Hunters’ Road, as it became known, now forms the border between Botswana and Zimbabwe.
Read full article in March issue of the Zambezi Traveller or online on the Zambezi Traveller website (external link, openins in new window).
Read more about the history of the Victoira Falls online here: To The Victoria Falls (external link, openins in new window).