151 Poachers Arrested

Source: The Herald (Harare)

Date: 27 October 2005

Author: Anon

So far this month, 151 poachers have been arrested in Zimbabwe's national parks.

In the past, poaching was mostly done by foreigners, but now Zimbabweans, especially those living near the parks, have also been reported to be engaged in poaching activities.

Locals are alleged to be sneaking into parks with dogs to hunt wild animals, mostly for their own consumption rather than for selling. Targeted animals include warthogs, impala, buffaloes, kudus and eland.

The public relations manager for the National Parks and Wildlife Authority, Retired Major Edward Mbewe, said the country's wildlife species were being hunted down or trapped by some communities.

"During indications, we recovered 566 wire snares in the Masvingo and Mupfurudzi protected areas," he said.

Rtd Maj Mbewe said the poachers in these areas also indicated that they used up to 12 dogs to hunt down preferred animals while others were caught using snares. The authority was also concerned with fish poaching now rampant in Lake Chivero and Lake Kariba.

"We recovered 482kg of fresh fish from both north and south banks of Lake Chivero last week. The fish had been hidden near some hills after the poachers got wind of the presence of our security officials."

Rtd Maj Mbewe said 307kg of kapenta fish were recovered abandoned at the banks of Lake Kariba during another raid on Sunday afternoon.

"We also recovered at both Chivero and Kariba, 32 fishing nets ranging between 44 and 975 metres long. The significant recoveries are going to help prove some of the extreme cases involving poachers," Rtd Maj Mbewe said.