Authority Gets 35 Vehicles for Combating Poaching

Source: The Herald

Date:11 October 2007

Author: Anon

Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority has acquired 35 Land Cruisers worth US$862 000 for combating poaching.

On Monday Environment and Tourism Minister Cde Francis Nhema commissioned the 15 vehicles so far been delivered. The other 20 are expected soon.

Cde Nhema said the major focus for the authority this year was to enhance protection of wildlife resources and it was in this light that it had targeted 150 vehicles for this financial year. "The current vehicles being used by the authority are more than 10 years old. They bought 120 Land Rover Defenders in 1996. "These vehicles have become costly to maintain due to constant breakdown and lack of spare parts. Since the commercialisation of the authority about two years ago the authority has purchased 35 field vehicles early this year and due to overuse, they aged fast," he said.

The minister said this year the authority recruited 300 rangers who underwent paramilitary training before deployment. Cde Nhema said the vehicles were part of the equipment that the rangers would use in national parks to execute their duties effectively. "These vehicles are for field operations and not for senior officers to keep at their homes. As we talk we are applying a principle that in every 10 vehicles procured by the authority eight should be for the field and two for administrative purposes until we conclude the exercise," he said.

The parks authority chairman Mr George Pangeti said the vehicles were critical in conserving and protecting wildlife.