The Sunday Mail
The Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit will hold a Golf Day in October to raise funds to help it protect the environment
The death of Cecil, the Lion which grabbed headlines across the globe towards the end of July, brought to the fore the issue of community involvement in conservation tourism, particularly how much benefit is accruing to communities that live adjacent to wildlife reserves, such that the same communities derive an interest in the safety of the said animals.
According to the chief executive officer of Binga Rural District Council, Mr Joshua Muzamba, as much as the Community Areas Management Programme for Indigenous Resources (Campfire) is alive and functioning in the district, the imposition of sanctions on the country by western governments have seen a reduction in the number of hunters coming to Zimbabwe.
When hunting concessions are advertised for, through an open tender system, of the amount that is paid for a particular concession, 55 percent of that goes straight into the account of the benefiting community with the remainder, 45 percent, going into council’s account, which in turn, will be used in community projects like the sinking of boreholes and roofing of classrooms.
“From time to time we hold workshops with the community, Campfire and interested non-governmental organizations, on how the communities should use their returns from the hunting concessions and so far we have not heard any cases of the funds being misused.
“What is increasing, though, is the human-wildlife conflict in the district as people are encroaching more into the areas that should be for wildlife. This conflict is heightened by the low inflows from hunting concessions and you find situations where communities at times argue what is the benefit to them to protect the wild animals.
“So you find incidences of poaching on the increase, human settlements increasing against a marked reduction in hunting safari operations — there is bound to be a mismatch somewhere. But we always try to educate our people on the long-term benefits of looking after their wild animals.”
Across the wildlife corridor, in Bumi Hills, besides maintaining a very visible social media presence, when our crew arrived to get an appreciation of the work that the Bumi Hills Anti-poaching Unit is doing, it was said that a Mrs Catherine was sleeping, and could not see us.
Bumi Hills is a frontier that is rich in wildlife but is always under constant attack from Zambian poachers, who allegedly use deadly artillery and methods in their operations.
“Even if they use a gun, of which the gun shots we hear from this side, by the time the anti-poaching unit reacts, the poachers would have gone because they use a certain chemical to de-horn, especially elephants,” said a resident of Chalala fishing camp, which lies adjacent to Bumi Hills.
Across in Victoria Falls, Charles Brightman, a local safari operator and conservationist, together with the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, established the Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit (VFAPU) in January 1999, in an effort to fight the alarming levels of destruction that was taking place.
Having started off with three scouts initially, the unit has grown in strength and now has 17 full-time scouts actively patrolling an area of approximately 50 square kilometres surrounding Victoria Falls.
One of the major illegal activities faced is the unsustainable utilisation of indigenous hardwoods, which are removed from the surrounding State-protected forests. A number of indigenous hardwood trees such as African Ebony (Diospyros mespiliformis), Pod Mahogany (Afzelia quansensis) and the Mukwa (Pterocarpus angolensis) are targeted to produce wooden curios for the tourism market.
Poachers target a variety of mammal species such as buffalo, kudu, eland, impala and set snares in order to catch theses mammals as they migrate to and from food/water sources. These wire death traps cause tremendous suffering to mammals, sometimes taking the victim several days to die after having been snared. Commercial poachers seeking elephant tusks also infiltrate wildlife areas.
The chief executive of Africa Albida Tourism, which works closely with the Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit, Mr Ross Kennedy, said that they are under no illusion that they will completely stop poaching. “But with the support of various stakeholders, companies, hotels, lodges and individuals we have been able to achieve great successes to date. Since the unit’s establishment, we have removed over 22 000 wire snares from our operational area and have arrested over 683 hardened poachers,” he said.
It is against this background that Africa Albida Tourism is calling on sponsors and participants to take part in the annual fundraising golf day, to ensure the survival of the Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit, to be held on October 2 at Borrowdale Brooke Golf Club.
Mr Kennedy added: “It is evident from the worldwide news coverage of the death of Cecil the Lion that wildlife conservation and dealing with poaching remains critically important. It is a key aspect of our company’s philosophy and corporate social responsibility programme.
“Poaching comes in many forms and it is vital that resources are raised to ensure that the incredible work the Victoria Falls Anti Poaching Unit does, which has seen an increase in wildlife numbers in the Victoria Falls area, can continue.”
“We understand the pressure and demands in this economy, but AAT covers the costs of the event, so every cent raised goes directly to VFAPU, and we urge individuals and companies to support the day by participating, contributing or donating in some way.”
Up to 144 players, making up 36 teams, will take part in VFAPU Golf Day, one of the most enjoyable and best organised events on the golf fundraising calendar, which will also include lunch, entertainment, prizes and a charity auction.
Two rhinos a day and one elephant every 15 minutes, are poached in Africa, with parts of Zimbabwe, such as Matusadona and Chizarira national parks, having lost more than 70 per cent of their elephant population in the past 10 years.
The charity golf tournament, which raised $14 750 last year, is integral to the survival of VFAPU, which relies on donations to cover its $6 000 a month operational costs, he said.
