The Sunday Mail
Sunday Mail Reporter
Hwange National Park is undergoing a major facelift after the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) released US$3 million in the past three years to enhance wildlife conservation and establish new infrastructure in Zimbabwe’s largest game reserve.
In 2020, IFAW, an international welfare and conservation charity organisation, signed a five-year agreement with Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZimParks) to promote wildlife conservation, animal rescue, research and rehabilitation of the national park.
The organisation will provide US$2 million over the next two years.
Speaking during a media tour of Hwange National Park, ZimParks spokesperson Mr Tinashe Farawo said wildlife reserve is undergoing a makeover.
“Hwange is our flagship park and the biggest game reserve in the country. It sits on 14 620 square kilometres and that’s where we have the biggest concentration of animals,” he said.
“The funding means a lot to us and the more we conserve our wildlife, the more benefit we will have from our animals. There are going to be new structures built in Hwange to enhance the protection of wildlife and capacitate our rangers.”
The projects that have since been undertaken include the transformation of the Makona ranger outpost to a modern stand-alone station to boost the fight against poaching.
“This is a game-changing project that we are benefiting from as a result of the relationship we have had with IFAW for the past three years. Some few years ago, we had some poaching incidents, where poachers were putting some salt licks. It was really difficult to react because we were deploying our rangers from about 100km away,” added Mr Farawo.
Additional infrastructure, including 14 semi-detached houses for rangers, will be commissioned next month.
“We are going to commission this camp before the onset of the rainy season, and the target for completion of the houses must be before the rainy season as well.”
IFAW communications officer Mr Luckmore Safuli said his organisation is committed to wildlife conservation.
“So far, around US$3 million has been spent since the signing of the agreement. A key milestone under the partnership is the construction of the new Makona ranger base in the southern part of the iconic park.
“We believe this infrastructure project will help ensure effective law enforcement and boost the morale of the brave men and women tasked with the responsibility of protecting the treasured wildlife resources,” said Mr Safuli.
IFAW, he added, is championing an initiative dubbed Room to Roam to ensure a viable, stable and resilient elephant population.
“Zimparks and IFAW have helped reduce poaching incidents in Hwange National Park. Over the past three years, we have recorded zero poaching cases in the park largely due to interventions aimed at strengthening law enforcement. As IFAW, we foresee Hwange National Park, which is home to an estimated 45 000 elephants, playing an important role in our Room to Roam initiative, which seeks to connect and secure habitats and create safe passage for animals to move freely.”
