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Imire Safari Ranch update
Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF)
November 27, 2007

Following the appeal circulated for funds to put towards a reward for the capture of the criminals who gunned down the 4 rhino, Amber, her almost full term unborn calf, DJ and Sprinter at Imire Safari Ranch, the following is a thank you letter from John and Judy Travers of Imire:

Imire Safari Ranch, would like to thank each and every one of you, who without hesitation, have put your hands deep into your pockets, to help us find the culprits to the murder of our four beautiful Rhino.

The response has been overwhelming, we never thought it would get to this.

The cry for justice, the need to protect and cherish what is left of these already endangered animals , has affected so very many people, all over the world.

The letters of concern, of condolence, of reward have helped us all on Imire to realize we are not out there in the wilderness on our own. Its been extremely heart warming and therapeutic to share your understanding of our need to protect the few rhino left on our planet. To know of the joy the Imire Rhino have brought to so many people, its been wonderful.

Thank-you for all you have donated, however large or small, we hope it will bring the perpetrator to sentence. The carrot is big.

I'm so very sorry we haven't been able to get back to each of you individually, we will in time, I can assure you. It's just that life has been in a bit of a turmoil of late, and together with no power, even less telephones, and a computer that will not send off photo's, we have been so slow in thanking you all.

All monies are to be dealt with by the Trusts.

Of course if we don't find the culprits, all your money will be returned to you.

We feel very strongly that National Parks must play an important role in this vital search. We have a meeting with them tomorrow, hopefully they will do the posters with the National Park emblem, and be responsible for the distribution of the Reward Posters.

Tatenda is great, very happy and settled in his new home, joining his new family whenever he can. He loves his walks with the dogs and PigglePoggol the warthog, he is beautiful.

What a privilege it is to be his Mum.

Thank-you, again from us all on Imire, and from us all in Zimbabwe, for your support and wishes to find the perpetrators of this evil crime of destroying what isn't ours anyway, the Black Rhino.

Keeping Tatenda alive is not just a simple matter of filling a bottle with milk and feeding him. The milk he needs must have the same components as his mother's milk. Without this, he will die. He also needs glucose water, vitamins and teats. Not only is this extremely expensive, but after numerous phone calls, we have found that some of the nutrients required do not seem to be available in Zimbabwe. Tatenda goes through a lot of teats because he chews them and so far, we haven't been able to find any.

In order for Tatenda to stay alive, he requires the following, every month:

• 60kg skimmed milk powder with NO fat. Any fat in the milk will kill him.
• 24kg glucose powder
• 3 litres Datvitamin syrup - the same type given to children
• 3 litres Pentavita citrus flavoured syrup
• Lots of teats - about 10cm long

Please, if anyone can help with any of the above, with funds or just by telling us how we can obtain these things, we would be very grateful. Our contact details are at the foot of this report. The black rhino is an endangered species and we cannot stress enough how important it is to keep Tatenda alive.

The glucose powder is available in Zimbabwe but we don't know how long stocks will last and we have so far only been able to find 3 x 200ml bottles of Datvitamin syrup. We have been told that the fat free skimmed milk powder is only available in New Zealand. If anyone knows where else we can obtain it, please let us know as soon as possible. With regard to the Pentavita syrup and the teats, we have phoned numerous outlets and have not been able to find them.

The ZCTF team has been visiting Tatenda at Imire and we cannot adequately describe what an incredibly beautiful and perfect little animal he is. For a truly unforgettable experience, we encourage everyone who is within driving distance of Imire, to go and meet him while he is still a baby.

Although Tatenda is currently the main attraction at Imire, he is by no means the only attraction. You will witness the amazing sight of an elephant who thinks he is a buffalo and has become the leader of the herd. Under the circumstances, the buffalo probably didn't have much choice in the matter. When a buffalo calf died, this elephant dug a metre deep grave in the hard dry earth, pushed the little buffalo into it and covered the grave with soil.

You will also have the privilege of being able to touch fully grown elephants in the wild. You will be able to have lunch at a beautiful site in the game park, overlooking a dam, whilst watching the elephants frolicking in the water.

Anyone wishing to visit Imire should phone them in advance to give them the chance to prepare food, refreshments and game drives for you. Their phone numbers are 022 2354 or 022 2094. For those who would like to stay for a few days, they have lovely chalets and a swimming pool and their prices are very reasonable. The turn-off is on the Mutare Road, just before Marondera if you are travelling from Harare. It is well sign-posted so you can't miss it. Please help to save Zimbabwe's remaining black rhino population by supporting them.

Visit the ZCTF fact sheet

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