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Poaching continues to escalate
Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF)
April 05, 2009

We haven't sent out a report for some time because with the formation of our new Government of National Unity, we hoped that if we waited, we would have had the pleasure of reporting an improvement in the poaching situation. Unfortunately however, it seems that the same people who were previously the guardians of the wildlife, have remained in the same position so although there have been some positive changes in some areas of Zimbabwean life, the wildlife does not appear to be enjoying any benefits.

This year, we have lost 15 rhino and according to reports received, some poachers are now using a dart gun to drug the rhinos. They are apparently removing the horn whilst the animal is unconscious but still alive. The drug is believed to be of Chinese origin.

Hunting in Hwange National Park

Cape to Cairo Safaris, an American based company is advertizing an elephant hunt inside Hwange National Park. They claim to have 50 elephants on quota in the park for culling and they are offering their hunters the opportunity to harvest some of the larger tusk elephants. The host and head Professional Hunter is Willem van der Merwe. They say the proceeds will go to the Parks Board. If anyone would like to see this advertisement, please email us or go into the Cape to Cairo website

This is extremely disheartening when we try so hard to raise funds to preserve the animals. We have recently received a report from Kalomo in Zambia which states that they have had a sudden increase in their elephant population of 350 - 400 and they believe the elephants have crossed over to Zambia from Hwange, possibly in an attempt to evade the hunters.

Feeding the crocs in Charara

Over the past year or so, there has been a huge outcry from the public because National Parks have been shooting the elephants there to feed the crocodiles in their crocodile farm. We were informed recently that they are no longer shooting the elephants which is good news, but they are now shooting the hippos to feed the crocs.

Innocent victims by Cathy Buckle

Dear Family and Friends,

I am delighted to be able to tell you that my new book: "Innocent Victims," has just been published by Merlin Unwin Books in the UK.

Innocent Victims is the story of how Meryl Harrison rescued thousands of animals stranded on farms during Zimbabwe's land invasions. In her sixties and with a heart condition, Meryl travelled with one or two young SPCA Inspectors and together they faced mobs of men who were often drugged or drunk and almost always armed with weapons ranging from sticks and stones to guns, knives and whips. Meryl drove thousands of kilometres to remote and abandoned farms; she and her colleagues went into "no-go areas" and faced war veterans, secret police, army and youth militia; they dismantled road barricades and went to places which even the Police said were dangerous and unsafe. There wasn't an animal too big, small, slippery or furry for Meryl and she rescued cats, dogs and goldfish. She and her team caught pigs, sheep, cows, goats and chickens. They saved horses and ponies, duikers and sable antelope and intervened on behalf of lions, hippos and ostriches.

For some the heart of Innocent Victims will be in Marmalade, the cat rescued from under the bath; for others it may be in Bokkie, the dog on Roy and Heather Bennett's farm who won an award for "his exceptional bravery and loyalty to his owner and his family and his courageous action that saved their lives." Or maybe it will be the little un-named piglet which Meryl popped onto the floor of her truck while mobs of men raged, shouted and threatened all around her.

All of the stories in Innocent Victims are the original first hand accounts taken from Meryl's personal diaries. Some of the rescues are gruesome and heartbreaking but others tell of great courage, ingenuity and joyous reunions. All tell of the extraordinary dedication and deep passion shown by one woman for the lives of many thousands of animals. Innocent Victims is the story of an unsung and reluctant hero in Zimbabwe's darkest of times.

Innocent Victims can be ordered from my website or from the publisher

The Elephants and I by Sharron Pincott

In March 2001 Sharon Pincott left her home in Australia and began working with 'The Presidential Elephants of Zimbabwe' on a full-time voluntary basis, on land bordering Hwange National Park in western Zimbabwe. President Mugabe decreed in 1990 that the elephants which roam this land - known locally as the Hwange Estate - should never be hunted or culled, and that they should symbolize Zimbabwe's commitment to responsible wildlife management.

Sharon instigated a formal naming process, for ease of identification, and learnt to know hundreds of elephants as individuals, and members of close-knit families; monitoring their lives on a daily basis. It was an idyllic time.

But it soon became apparent that snaring was rife, and snare-destruction teams were established to help combat the poaching problem. No sooner was the snaring situation better under control, a government official claimed this tourism land as his own, and secured quotas to sport-hunt. What followed was 16 months of heartache and endurance, before this situation was eventually righted. But still, the degradation continued. Every year from that point on, pans were left to dry up; the elephants forced to move elsewhere to find adequate water. Snaring was once again rife, and continual efforts were made to save the lives of maimed animals.

What has kept Sharon in Zimbabwe during these past 8 years is the beauty and wonder of the Zimbabwean veld - which still remains, despite everything - and the extraordinary relationship that she's formed with these wild, free-roaming giants over the years. Adult female elephants now come to her when they're called - and even more remarkably, allow her to rub their trunks.

Sharon considers 'The Presidential Elephants of Zimbabwe' to be a truly unique tourist attraction, which could potentially attract a myriad of people from all around the world to Zimbabwe, yet the indifference of the safari operator who now hosts these elephants continues, adding to the frustrations of her ongoing voluntary work.

Sharon has written a book about her 8 years living and working amongst these elephants, which has been published by Jacana Publishing in South Africa, titled The Elephants and I: Pursuing a dream in troubled Zimbabwe is available now in bookshops throughout South Africa, and from the internet sites www.kalahari.net, www.loot.co.za, www.exclusivebooks.com

Visit the ZCTF fact sheet

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