She was keen to see all the wild animals she had heard about and only seen on television or at zoos back home.
More than anything, she year-ned to see the Big Five.
I can assure you the task was not as easy as we thought it would be and after having travelled in most parts of the country, we had to face the fact that the number of wildlife in Zimbabwe had drastically declined!
A drive to Kanyemba, located on the far northern part of the country where Zimbabwe borders Zambia and Mozambique, used to be a wonderful experience.
Coming across lots of elephants, lions, leopards and all sorts of wildlife was something you expected. However, a recent drive down there presented a whole different scenario.
Not only did we fail to encounter the elephants (which are my favourite), but we could not spot other animals that we so much looked forward to seeing, save for the hyenas and baboons.
Upon inquiry, we were informed of the poachers from both Mozambique and Zambia that were working in cahoots with Zimbabwean dealers to kill wildlife for ivory and skins that were later sold in those countries.Lions, zebras and snakes are mostly killed for their skins.
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The smaller game is mainly hunted “for the pot”. Most of the other losses recorded have been mostly among the kudu, impala, wildebeest and antelope populations.
While it is difficult to tell how bad the situation is statistically due to the absence of specialists who used to study individual species, the Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force (ZCTF) says 40 rhinos were killed in 2010.
It said another nine were slaughtered just three months into 2011. These figures alone show that the rhinoceros would be in definite danger of extinction if no serious measures are taken soon.
Through the anti-poaching patrols the law enforcers appear to be doing their bit, with reports of a number of arrests having been made.
However, they are clearly a long way from achieving any significant results.
The fact that some members of the ruling elite have been implicated in illegal ivory trade hasn’t helped the situation.
If anything, it sends the message to the ordinary people that they also can take their chances on the natural resource and try to enrich themselves.
What makes the situation worse is that even some members of the Zimbabwe Republic Police have been involved, an example being the two policemen from Kazungula Police Station in Matabeleland North nabbed in 2010 for illegal ivory dealing.
If the very persons that should guard the law are at the forefront of breaking it, why should ordinary people feel obliged to keep it?
Yet another disturbing case was one in 2008 when 10 elephants were discovered at some ranch chained in captivity with the least amount of water and shade, undergoing training for elephant-back safaris.
With the help of Zimbabwe National Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, nine were eventually rescued and placed back into the wild; one of them didn’t make it!
According to ZCTF, there are people who have genuine love and concern for wildlife and would like to conserve it but they do not know how to assist.
“When visiting wildlife areas, people should not torment, tease or feed animals.
“If they see anything that they think is not right, like illegal poaching or hunting, they should try to take pictures and vehicle registration numbers if possible and report it to the police or organisations like ZCTF.”
