Two elephants killed in suspected cyanide poisoning

Two elephants killed in suspected cyanide poisoning

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Jul 19, 2017 |

Two elephants have been killed in a suspected case of cyanide poisoning around Hwange National Park.

The carcasses of the two jumbos were discovered on Monday by anti-poaching officers.

The Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) confirmed the suspected cyanide poisoning case after officers who were on patron around Hwange National Park noticed the carcasses of two adult elephants.

The case has since been reported to the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) which is now conducting further investigations, while a task which was removed from one of the elephants has since been recovered.

Zimparks Public Relations Manager, Mr Tinashe Farawo said the suspected cyanide poison was administered on the saltlick, adding that the recovered task has been sent for safekeeping while 150 anti-poaching unit officers have been deployed to deal with the emerging poaching cases.

Mr Farawo added that the authority in collaboration with other government agencies is working tirelessly to reduce cases of poaching with cumulative figures for 2017 indicating a downward trend compared to last year.

Recent reports from Zimparks show that between January and June 2017, a total of 14 elephants were lost due to poaching activities.

During the recently held third Defence and Security Chief Meeting hosted by Zimbabwe, member countries were challenged to domesticate the SADC law enforcement and anti-poaching strategy.

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Zimparks guns down hippo in Nyanyadzi

August 31, 2017August 31, 2017
Inset from Zimpapers. THE Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority last week shot dead a hippopotamus that was damaging winter wheat in Nyanyadzi. The hippo, which had a calf, is believed to have escaped from Save Conservancy. ZPWMA ordered the shooting of the hippos after traditional leaders in the area reported that it was damaging crops and endangering lives. ZPWMA officer, Mr John Danfa, said they were still hunting for the calf which is believed to have found habitat along Save River. “Usually hippos move up and down rivers during the rainy season. We believe the two escaped from Save Valley Conservancy. They were both females and they do not usually click if there is no male. “They are believed to have separated. We received reports from traditional leaders in Hot Springs and Nyanyadzi that these hippos were feeding on wheat and crops in their fields.�? “People’s lives were endangered so the authorities ordered its killing. The first time we attempted to kill it, it was in the company of so many cattle and could not do anything. Our officer teamed up with villagers to track it until last week when it was shot down in Nyanyadzi�?. The officer is said to have fired 12 shots before the hippo died. The meat was shared by villagers. One of the villagers in Dirikwe village, Mr Tapiwa Munyati, said: “This hippo was becoming a threat to human lives in the area. It was being spotted near homes at night. “There are vegetable gardens along one of Save River’s tributaries where it was being spotted.“We were told that hippos do not like light and the danger was that lives would have been lost.�? “A villager survived death by a whisker recently when the hippo strayed into his homestead.“He went out of his house to investigate when his dogs were barking. He had a torch and the hippo advanced towards him. “Fortunately he managed to escape the attack and notified other villagers and the village head. We are appealing to the responsible authorities to make sure that the remaining one is also killed,�? said Mr Munyati.