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Black
rhino slaughtered at Imire
On Wednesday
7 November, a gang of poachers arrived at Imire game park, about
100 kilometres east of Harare. Armed with AK's and dressed in camouflage,
they shot and killed three black rhinos, a species listed as the
most highly engangered large mammal on earth.
 |
| Sprinter
|
|  
|
| Amber's
unborn calf |
The owner of
the conservancy, John Travers, said poachers shot dead DJ, Amber
and Sprinter, two females and a male, but left a four-week-old calf
unharmed. Amber was a pregnant female just weeks away from calving.
The rhinos were part of a project that hoped to provide a gene pool
for this highly threatened species.
In the 1980's, Zimbabwe had about 7,500 black rhino, the largest
population in Africa. But a wave of poaching across Africa decimated
the population, and Zimbabwe's herd is down to fewer than 500 animals.
The Imire animals
were hand reared after they were rescued from rampant poaching in
the 1980s. They were under constant watch by armed guards. To better
protect them from poaching, they had had their horns sawn off by
wildlife veterinarians about two months ago, after poachers attacked
another conservancy outside Harare and shot dead three white rhino.
The poachers were disturbed whilst trying to remove Sprinter's horn
which had only grown about an inch since being dehorned.
According to
Cathy Buckle:
These seven
Black Rhino were part of a grand scheme by farmers and Government
to save a species. Private Game Parks and Conservancies, at entirely
their own risk and expense, would rear the animals, allow them
to breed and then return the offspring to National Parks so that
all Zimbabweans could share in this wonderous heritage.
Over 20 years
those seven Black Rhino thrived at Imire. This was a superb achievement
- for man and animal. The Rhino had to be guarded from poachers,
day and night; they had to be fed on massive amounts of purchased
supplementary feed and they had to be contented enough to breed
and for the females to carry their calves for the full 450 day
gestation. Vets and experts came in when needed and de-horned
the Rhinos, removing the matted hair-like structure which was
the lure to the poachers and the very cause of their persecution.
Over two decades the Travers' family returned more than half a
dozen Black Rhino reared on Imire to the Department of National
Parks and gave a great gift back to our country.
Direct
your outrage
Draw government's
attention to this brutal activity, and spark them to bring the attackers
to justice.
Write to:
National Parks
and Wild Life Management
Box CY140
Causeway, Harare
Telephone: 04-707624
Email: natparks@africaonline.co.zw
Or drop your
letter of complaint at their offices at the National Botanical Gardens,
Borrowdale Rd / Sandringham Ave, Harare.
Reward
funding
Imire is requesting
support in building a pool of reward funding, towards the arrest
and conviction of the persons responsible for this slaughter. The
bigger the reward the better the prospects of these culprits being
brought to justice. All funds will be carefully monitored and invested
until such time the reward is paid or refunded to those who have
contributed.
Funds may be payable to the following bank accounts:
Local donors:
Bank: Stanbic
Bank
Branch: Parklane
Account Name: DatVest Nominees, Imire Black Rhino Fund
Account#: 01 4000 481 8602
Foreign donors:
Save Foundation
Donation Fund
Commonwealth Bank of Australia
Leederville Branch
BSB 066113
Swift Code CTBAAU2S
A/C number 1004 4343
or
Post a Cheque
to:
Save Foundation
229 Oxford Street
Leederville,Western Australia 6007
Contact details:
- Mike or
Sheila Thompson
- John, Judy or Reilly Travers
- Pete and Mandy Bibby
Address:
Imire Game Park
P Bag 3750
Marondera
Phone: 022-2354
or 022-2094 or 0912 243 072
E-mail: imiregp@zol.co.zw
For more information
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