Zimbabwe Wrestles With Threats to Black Rhino

HARARE, Zimbabwe, August 27, 2003 (ENS) - Subsistence poaching and illegal trophy hunting are taking a toll on Zimbabwe's population of black rhinos. At least 16 black rhinos have been slaughtered by hunters and poachers in the Matusadona and Hwange National Parks in northern and western Zimbabwe since March 2002, and conservationists worry the threat to the species from illegal killing is on the rise.

Once common through sub Saharan Africa, the population of black rhinos has plummeted from some 200,000 prior to 1960 to only about 3,000 today. Hunted primarily for their horns, which some believe contain medicinal qualities, the black rhino remains at risk despite widespread efforts to save the species.

In 1977, all five rhino species were granted protection through their listing on Appendix 1 of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild fauna and flora (CITES), making it illegal to trade in any rhino products. Black rhinos are considered critically endangered.

Almost all remaining black rhinos survive in protected sanctuaries and national parks, but as the situation in Zimbabwe illustrates, poaching continues to threaten the species.

Despite significant shortages of manpower, fuel and equipment, Zimbabwe's Parks and Wildlife Management Authority has responded to increased threats to the species by enhancing their patrol efforts. Officials report that four poachers have been killed in recent firefights, and several have been arrested, but the threat to the black rhino is far from extinguished.

With only some 3,000 black rhinos left in the wild, conservation efforts involving zoos are becoming increasingly important to the species survival. (Photo courtesy San Francisco Zoo)

The problem of subsistence poaching in Zimbabwe can be linked to the nation's deteriorating economy, rising unemployment and fierce land disputes. These forces combine to drive more individuals to poach wild animals - including black rhinos - for bushmeat and illegal trade.

Over the past few years, at least 15 black rhinos have died in ranching areas as a consequence of indiscriminate snaring, adding to the ongoing problems of rhino snaring by subsistence poachers in conservancies.

Further problems for Zimbabwe's rhinos arose in June 2003 when South African sport hunters were involved in the illegal slaughter of a black rhino in southern Zimbabwe.

This discovery unearthed further evidence that some South African hunters are taking advantage of the unsettled situation in Zimbabwe's rural areas to run illegal safari hunting operations.

Members of this network pay small 'trophy fees' to the occupiers of wildlife properties and then shoot whatever animals they can - including black rhinos and elephants - for meat, hides and trophies.

This development has outraged conservationists, who are calling on South African and Zimbabwean authorities to clamp down on the threat from cross border hunting parties.

Illegal trade of rhino horns is negatively impacting all five species of rhinos. (Photo by Crawford Allen courtesy TRAFFIC)

WWF, in collaboration with the Zimbabwean Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and other conservation agencies, is assisting in emergency responses to increasing rhino poaching in Zimbabwe.

Operations funded by WWF enabled the relocation of 22 black rhinos from areas of high snaring risk to safer areas during 2002. The organization, along with other supporting conservation groups, are developing future operations to help deal with the problem of commercial rhino poaching in national parks.

Protecting the black rhino - and other African species under threat - will require solutions to address economic and social conditions that are fueling subsistence poaching. In Zimbabwe, officials say the nation's instability has caused increased harvesting of wildlife and other natural resources that is proving difficult for state conservation agencies to regulate.

While it is impossible to quantify the overall loss of wildlife, estimates of 50 to 80 percent of wildlife being lost from some former commercial farms are widely reported, according to WWF.

"The resolution of internal poaching by rural communities is a long term issue requiring the evolution of equitable and durable land reform arrangements within various sectors of Zimbabwe's complicated wildlife industry," said Dr. Harrison Kojwang, regional representative for WWF in Southern Africa..

Developing these agreements, Kojwang says, "will take a great deal of effort and a willingness by all stakeholders to negotiate workable and sensible solutions on an area by area basis."