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(ZIMPAPERS) REVEALING DARK SECRETS. . .as game rangers use unorthodox means to protect rhinos

REVEALING DARK SECRETS. . .as game rangers use unorthodox means to protect rhinos
Saturday, 23 April 2011 22:25 Environment & Tourism

SOME wildlife conservancy security personnel in the Lowveld are said to be using unorthodox means to protect rhinos.

They allegedly lure and ambush “innocent” people, some of whom have been killed after being passed off as poachers. Some survivors of the alleged shady activities say the agents use the “kills” and arrests to claim funds from an international non-governmental organisation that fundraises for rhino conservation. The Sunday Mail tracked down a field intelligence officer at one of the Save conservancies and below is his account.

I am simply giving out accounts of some of the encounters I have had as a field intelligence officer.

An international non-governmental organisation provides funds to conservancies for rhino conservation activities.

The money is disbursed in proportion to the number of poachers arrested or killed.
Some of the funds are disbursed directly as an incentive to the security officers and it is this development that has led to several “innocent” people being lured and killed or arrested as poachers.

The more poachers you arrest or shoot dead, the more money you get from the organisation.

In April 2010, a plan was hatched by senior security personnel at our conservancy to lure Masvingo businessman Innocent Mudzviti with information that a game ranger had in his possession a rhino horn worth US$35 000.

Mudzviti teamed up with two soldiers from 4 Brigade in Masvingo, a junior officer from the Criminal Investigation Department and another Masvingo businessman named Nyoni.

The team of seven, who had US$35 000 cash on them, together with the security officer, drove an Isuzu KB to the conservancy where they were told they would meet the game ranger with the supposed rhino horn.

They parked their vehicle along the Chiredzi-Chisumbanje highway, about three kilometres from the main gate. Mudzviti, the two soldiers, and the security officer, who had lured them, entered the conservancy to negotiate with the said game warden to release the purported rhino horn while Nyoni, the CID officer and another man kept guard in the car.

Mudzviti and the soldiers were led into an ambush. The soldiers were shot and killed on the spot while Mudzviti escaped but was later captured.

Nyoni and the other people who were waiting with him in the car were immediately arrested.

It was later reported to the police that the soldiers were poachers who were shot during contact while Nyoni and others were reported to have been inside the conversancy when they were clearly outside.

It would have been far more convincing to have arrested Mudzviti and company in the act of poaching.

The question remains, what is poaching? Is being lured to a rhino horn regarded as poaching?
There are several other similar incidents.-The Sunday Mail

THE RESPONSE

Mr Mike Ball is the chief security officer of Malilangwe Conservancy Trust. The following is his response to some of the allegations raised by the field intelligence officer.

THE Save Conservancies have been hit by numerous rhino poaching syndicates and we have had to take stern measures in retaliation.

I know most conservancies face similar challenges with poachers as we do. For us at Malilangwe, we fight bruising battles with poachers and we are aware of the smear campaigns our detractors have embarked on.

We know that those whose poaching efforts we have thwarted are working 24 hours to try and discredit us.

We have busted several local and cross-border poaching syndicates and these have gone all out on a smear campaign. We work with the ZRP and we provide resources when they are needed as we try to protect rhinos from these daring poachers.

Some of our detractors have even alleged racism at Malilangwe, but we will not be distracted.

Surprising enough, despite these allegations of racism on Malilangwe’s part, everybody in this industry wants to work for Malilangwe where conditions of service are clearly better than anywhere else.

People who claim to have been lured were first class rhino poachers who would have been arrested and then try to defend themselves.-The Sunday Mail

Labels: GAME PARKS, MURDER, WILDLIFE, WORLD WILDLIFE FUND

posted by MrK @ 2:22 PM