ZimConservation

Zanu PF power tussle chokes conservancy

admin — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 02:20:21 +0000

POWER tussles between two rival Zanu PF factions are threatening the viability of a wildlife-rich conservancy in Marondera after the party’s government ministers failed to evict supporters who invaded the animal sanctuary this week, the Zimbabwe Independent has learnt. Authoritative sources told the Independent yesterday that Wildlife and Natural Resources minister Francis Nhema, Parks and Wildlife Management Authority director-general Vitals Chadenga, and Campfire director Charles Jonga visited Domersville Farm in Marondera on Wednesday to resolve the issue, but failed. Nhema had reportedly asked for the intervention of Mashonaland West governor Aneas Chigwedere, the area legislator and Deputy Minister of Labour and Social Welfare Tracy Mutinhiri and Zanu PF Mashonaland East chairman Ray Kaukonde, to evict the invaders. Read more: http://www.theindependent.co.zw/local/27807-zanu-pf-power-tussle-chokes-conservancy.html

Government tightens ivory trade controls

admin — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 02:19:18 +0000

THE government has ordered licenced domestic ivory traders to stop issuing Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites) export documents after it emerged that some traders were using them to facilitate the smuggling of raw ivory. The announcement was made through the Cites Secretariat in Notification to the Parties No. 20010/024 of 16 August 2010. The directive says those wishing to take ivory carvings out of the country were now required to seek permission from the Cites Management Authority of Zimbabwe to obtain an export permit. Read more: http://www.newsday.co.zw/article/2010-08-27-government-tightens-ivory-trade-controls

Lions kill 5 people

admin — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 08:23:15 +0000

Marauding lions have wreaked havoc in Mashumbi Pools where they have mauled to death five people, including a hunter, and and have also killed scores of livestock, NewsDay has learnt. Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority spokesperson Caroline Washaya-Moyo confirmed that the felines had become a menace, saying the authority had this year received reports of four deaths. Villagers said parks rangers from the area had developed cold feet in dealing with wild animals after a professional hunter was killed by the lions in January this year. The hunter had been engaged by the Mbire Rural District Council to kill the man-eaters. Read more: http://www.newsday.co.zw/article/2010-08-22-lions-kill-5-people

Zim to ban plastic shopping bags

admin — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 08:24:13 +0000

ZIMBABWE has announced it is imposing a phased ban on plastic shopping bags, a minister said, “for causing pollution, killing wildlife, and using up precious resources of the earth.” Environment Minister Francis Nhema recently held a meeting with the large supermarket chains and representatives from the plastics industry to discuss the proposals. Read more: http://www.newzimbabwe.com/NEWS-3087-Zim+to+ban+plastic+shopping+bags/NEWS.aspx

African conservationists ‘shoot to kill poachers’

admin — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 07:43:28 +0000

Some conservation organisations in Africa are operating a shoot-to-kill policy against poachers, to protect endangered species, a study says. An academic from the University of Manchester told the BBC that private security firms and mercenaries were being used to train game rangers. Prof Rosaleen Duffy has researched the issue for 15 years for a book to be published this month. She said these military-style campaigns were occurring across the continent. Read more: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-10992502

Developments at Gonarezhou hailed

admin — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 07:42:41 +0000

Zimbabwe has made tremendous infrastructural developments in the Gonarezhou National Park, setting the tone for the full rollout of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park with South Africa and Mozambique. Environment and Natural Resources Management Minister Francis Nhema said this on Saturday after touring some of the projects that are being rehabilitated at Chipinda Pools. Read more: http://www1.herald.co.zw/inside.aspx?sectid=846&cat=1

Zimbabwe snare collector killed by buffalo

admin — Sun, 15 Aug 2010 09:22:54 +0000

Porous borders aid Rhino poachers – AfriForum

admin — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 04:42:34 +0000

JOHANNESBURG – A South African civil rights group this week called on that country’s government to engage other nations, including Zimbabwe, in its on-going efforts to stop rhino poaching, cases of which are escalating by the day. Civil rights group AfriForum said early this week that the recent arrest of seven rhino poaching suspects from Vietnam, Zimbabwe and Mozambique was once again proof that good border control is essential, hence the call by the organisation for the South African government to discuss the issue with the governments of the other countries concerned, especially the government of Vietnam, in order to determine the origin of the poaching problem. Read more: http://www.thezimbabwean.co.uk/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=33205:porous-borders-aid-rhino-poachers–afriforum&catid=32&Itemid=34

Tough Call for Gonarezhou Rangers

admin — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 04:41:43 +0000

Harare — AS the four-seater Cessna flew low over the carcasses of two huge jumbos slain by poachers a week before, an eerie nauseating atmosphere filled the stuffy interior of the small aircraft. A short distance ahead, vultures were feasting on yet another dead elephant, a dinner that could last days for the scavengers if not disturbed. Death is the price that the world’s biggest land mammals are paying for their tusks, which have a lucrative international market. The question that was on everyone’s mind aboard the aircraft was: Is Zimbabwe’s parks authority sufficiently equipped to effectively curb poaching activities, especially given the fact that poachers are coming into the country with far more sophisticated weapons than the rangers’ archaic looking Russian-made AK47 rifles? Read more: http://allafrica.com/stories/201008040413.html

Gonarezhou under spotlight

admin — Sun, 01 Aug 2010 07:23:17 +0000

A HIGH-LEVEL taskforce comprising police, National Parks investigations department, police units from neighbouring countries and Interpol has launched investigations into operations of tightly-knit syndicates that are believed to be behind large- scale poaching of animals in Gonarezhou National Park. In the past five months, six white and two black rhinos have been killed and dehorned while last year’s statistics indicated that Zimbabwe lost about 70 rhinos to poachers. Rhino horns are particularly in high demand in Asia where they are believed to be essential in curing cancer and fever-related ailments. Read more: http://newzimsituation.com/62885mx/gonarezhou-under-spotlight.htm