Justice is served! Zimbabwe Rhino poachers to be jailed

Two poachers will serve a 16 year jail term each after they were convicted of illegally hunting two rhinoceros worth $120 000 at Sango Ranch in Bikita, Zimbabwe.

Poachers,  Maera and Mwapfa and other two accomplices went to Sango Ranch in Bikita in July this year and killed a rhino.

The following month in company of Emerson Jamukoko and Hardlife Mukombi they allegedly then killed a black female rhino using an unlicensed AK-47 assault rifle and dehorned its horns.

Police at Buffalo Range airport received information about the poachers operations and laid an ambush which led to their arrest.

Police recovered AK 47 rifle and two rounds of ammunition. The poachers then led police to the scene where they committed the crime.

Cases of poaching are on increase in the country, with various environmentalists leading campaigns against such activities in the country. Unfortunately, it’s a very lucrative business. Even top politicians in the country have been linked to poaching syndicates. The issue is centuries in the making and not only involves hunting and poaching but man’s ties to an old tradition and culture.

Black Rhinoceros. Distinguished from the white rhino by its larger size and pointed, flexible upper lip. The black is also more aggressive than the white. Rhinoceroses can gallop at speeds of up to 40-45kph. YIKES!

White rhinoceros - not in fact white but slate-grey to yellowish-brown in colour . The ‘white’ likely comes from a mistranslation of the Afrikaner word for ‘wide’, referring to the animal’s wide mouth. It’s rather more square than the black rhino’s lips. He also has a longer head and a more pronounced shoulder hump

Campaigns to educate local communities are having an impact and in-country newspaper The Zimbabwean, often covers the story and have reported several times this year on the plight of the rhinos and the increasing endangerment of these beautiful, majestic animals.

In June 2011, more than 350 people gathered to celebrate Rhino Day. The Minister of Environment Francis Nhema spoke to open the event which marks the beginning of a new thrust in efforts to promote the protection of the rhino.

He said, “It is a celebration of successful conservation strategies implemented by various individuals, organisations and companies who are pulling their resources to conserve the rhino from poaching. The primary objective is to create awareness on the plight of the rhino and help stem illegal trade in rhino and rhino products worldwide.”

 The Opening of Zimbabwean Rhino Day

Marching to the beat of the Zimbabwean Police Band, school children with banners saying “Rhino horn is not medicine” and “My horn belongs on my head” joined activists from the Ministry of Environment, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and various other groups concerned with conservation and animal welfare.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

The Tikki Hywood Trust is a project which will not only help secure the threatened population of rhinos and other lesser known endangered species, but it also creates awareness for them. The Trust aims to prevent such crisis management of Zimbabwe’s other endangered wildlife by initiating breeding projects and importing new blood strains to strengthen the genetic base of the existing populations.

NEVER EVER BUY IVORY PRODUCTS.

Ivory looks and feels like a white or off-white hard substance (sometime grainy, sometimes polished up), almost like bone. If you aren’t sure, ask the vendor what the product is made of. If they don’t know, don’t buy it.

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