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Safari hunting in our part of the new great Africa Transfrontier Park
Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF)
September 24, 2006

We have just received the following disturbing report. The incident took place on the 6th and 7th September 2006. We have informed National Parks and the Minister of Environment and Natural Resources but have had no response from them whatsoever.

Local tourists who were booked in at Sumaweni camp at Buffalo bend in the Southwest of GONA RE ZHOU were refused the camp and had to move to another camp close by, because a safari company VICTORIA FALLS HUNTERS had been allocated their camp.

The tourists asked the receptionist at Mabalahuta why and what was going on, he answered that the safari outfit had arrived a few days before with their client Mr. Edd Chitziva from Victoria Falls to hunt in the park. He went on to say that they VICTORIA FALLS HUNTERS had connections in government and that the warden was ordered to make the change in the camp arrangements. The person that they were talking to was very apologetic and helpful, so the tourists left for their accommodation.

The next morning the tourists saw two safari vehicles leave the camp with people on the back of the vehicle holding rifles, a few minutes later they heard shots fired from a heavy caliber rifle which made them very nervous because it was so close to the camp. The tourists then decided to pack up and leave, whilst they were doing this three more shots were fired with one bullet ricocheting some where close by. They hurriedly finished packing and then made their way over to the offices at Mabalahuta where they asked to see the warden. They described what was going on to the warden who was very apologetic and seemed to be very embarrassed about the hunting that was going on in our part of the Transfrontier Park, he went on to say that he had no say in the matter at all. When the tourist mentioned that this was part of the new Africa Transfrontier Park the warden indicated that they should not talk about what they had seen. The tourists then asked for their money back, this was complied with minus the value of one nights stay.

Local tourists visiting the Chipinda pools side of the park are reporting seeing snares at Benji Dam and at Fishounds.

This is our responsibility and is unacceptable
10 days later, local tourists from Chiredzi visiting Gonarezhou through Chipinda Pools on the weekend of the 16th and 17th September 2006 went down to Chinguli. During one of their game drives, opposite the Nyahomgwe River confluence with the Lundi River, they came across a well used vehicle track that they had not seen before. They decided to go down it as part of their game drive and after a few hundred metres they came across a camp occupied by National Parks personnel. They noticed there was quite a lot of meat hanging in the trees drying and they asked about it. The spokesman for the camp explained that they were an anti poaching unit and they had found 2 impala in snares and this was the meat from them. The tourists said that the meat they saw drying was a lot more than just 2 impala. The next day when the tourists passed the same road, they found that it had been blocked off with dead trees and scrub, obviously to prevent anyone else from using it.

It has also been reported that there are 2 free lance professional hunters who are hunting for A2 settlers on a ranch in the Mwenezi area despite the fact that the owner of the ranch, who lives in South Africa has a court interdict protecting his property. The two hunters are hunting for an outfit whose name keeps cropping up with regard to unethical hunting practices.  

Johnny Rodrigues
Chairman for Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force

Visit the ZCTF fact sheet

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