ZIMBABWE - Destruction of wildlife, the environment and sensitive eco-systems

DROUGHT YEARS

A massive campaign was launched with valuable assistance from the airforce of Zimbabwe to save a variety of wildlife species during the droughts of 1982 and 1991/2. In 1992 more than 1,000 head of game were saved including 33 hippo, 156 sable, 92 waterbuck and 214 zebra. During the drought in 1982 the 'Save our Sable' campaign was started by Colin Saunders to raise money for the lowveld wildlife. Millions of dollars of government money was spent on rounding up the animals and putting them into bomas to feed them. The 1992 drought was the worst in living memory and airforce helicopters came in again to help save the wildlife. With the blessing of the government, rhinos and elephant were brought into Chiredzi and its neighbouring conservancies in an effort to afford them better protection from drought and poaching. Why is the same government now disinterested in their investment, happily standing by as vast numbers of animals are destroyed?

Since the invasions the sable are in great danger in the conservancies as they are particularly vulnerable to dogs and poaching. On Dawlish Estate, Chiredzi, 4 sable rescued during the '92 drought have been fenced into an 8 hectare paddock in front of one of the main houses for their protection.

Whilst I was there two arrows were found on the plot, one without its head. On closer examination it was found that one of the sable calves had the arrowhead lodged in its side. Out of the wild sable on Dawlish Estate, 40 were brought in during the early '90s and recently only 6 have been seen in the area.