"We have asked individuals and private gamekeepers to step in and
buy wild animals in the light of the drought, but the number of animals
to be sold would depend on the bids we receive," ZimParks spokesperson,
Caroline Washaya-Moyo, told journalists.
As drought parches reserves, Zimbabwe puts wildlife on the block
As prolonged drought dries up waterholes and grass, Zimbabwe's
government is taking an unprecedented step to keep the wildlife in its
game reserves alive: It is selling the animals to private owners.
Zimbabwe
Parks and Wildlife Authority has invited bids to purchase the animals
in its reserves, hoping private game reserves with cash and spare water
and fodder may be able to get them through the worst drought the country
has seen in three decades.
ZimParks,
as the conservation authority is known, has not specified what animals
might be sold, their cost or whether they could be exported to other
countries. But the country's wildlife includes a range of big tourist
draws, including elephants, rhinos and lions.
"We
have asked individuals and private gamekeepers to step in and buy wild
animals in the light of the drought, but the number of animals to be
sold would depend on the bids we receive," ZimParks spokesperson, Caroline Washaya-Moyo, told journalists.
Oppah Muchinguri, Zimbabwe's minister for environment, water and climate, told the Thomson Reuters Foundation that the country aimed to use resources from the sales to support the other animals in its reserves through the drought.
"We must mobilise resources for the upkeep of our wild animals, like elephants, by selling," he said.
The
Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency estimates that 620 Cape buffalo
died in 2015 as a result of the ongoing drought. Such statistics are one
of the drivers of the current auction.
There are
no clear reports about the about the number of wild animals the country
has sold so far, but last year Zimbabwe exported to China 100 elephants,
out of a population of more than 84,000, according to ZimParks. Each
fetched $40,000.
In the past, the country has offered a range of animals for sale, including elephants, lions, impala antelope and zebras.
'STEALING THE FUTURE'?
To
auction animals, ZimParks authorities have invited "expressions of
interest" from bidders with the capacity to manage the wildlife. Bidders
are required to pay a non-refundable fee of $50.
But critics warn the selloff could both hurt the future earning power of the country's national parks and fuel corruption.
"Selling
wildlife here has nothing to do with the El Nino-induced drought or any
excuse; this is mismanagement, corruption and greed. The government is
stealing from the future generation of this country," charged Johnny Rodrigues, chairman of the animal rights group, Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force.
He said the government had warned as early as July 2015 that a strong El Nino phenomenon threatened to dry up pastures and drinking water and impact wildlife.
"So why didn't they store food for wildlife way in advance, knowing that Zimbabwe has droughts periodically?" he asked.
In 2014, the government earned about $6 million from game viewing, according to the Ministry of Environment, Water and Climate.
Rodrigues
said those who will benefit from wildlife sales include Zimbabwe's
government and private game reserves, whose workers are now taking a
look at what's available.
Leander Saburi, an independent animal rights activist, said it remains unclear whether animals sold would remain in Zimbabwe.
"Nobody
knows whether or not private rangers and farmers purporting to have
keen interest in buying the starving wildlife will keep the animals.
They could be ivory poachers posing as private game rangers so that they
easily gain access to our wildlife," he warned.
ZimParks officials said that was not a risk.
"Remember
there is paperwork needed for one to buy our wildlife and we don't just
sell to anyone, and therefore there is no room for poachers," said a senior ZimParks official.
In
line with the ZimParks requirements, bidders for wild animals must
provide information about where they intend to keep acquired animals,
giving the name and address of the property, its size and its ownership.
TAKING A LOOK
Some Zimbabwe private game rangers, such as John Harugwa, have met the requirements.
Harugwa
recently took a peek through the security fence at Gonarezhou National
Park outside Masvingo, in southeast Zimbabwe. On the parched ground
inside lay a herd of Cape buffalo, resting near a dried-up dam.
"Our
country's failure to look after its wildlife amid the drought may be
our turn to make money as we gain dominance in the business of wildlife
and start pocketing cash from game viewing. Some of us have the means to
keep the animals alive," he told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.
What's
clear, he said, is that "wildlife authorities don't have enough
capacity to carry the country's wildlife through the drought".
Harugwa's new private game reserve, called HaruPark in Zimbabwe's Masvingo Province, covers about 85 hectares of former farmland that he recently converted into a game park for tourists.
He is amongst 8,000 drought-affected smallholder farmers here benefitting from the U.N. Central Emergency Fund, which aims to help farmers acquire subsidised feed for their livestock.
Harugwa said he had accessed approximately 2,000 tonnes of animal feed at subsidised prices, thanks to the U.N. initiative.
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