Zimbabwe has upped its game against poaching syndicates with arrests of over 400 suspects, Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesperson Caroline Washaya-Moyo said today.
According to the Chinese news agency, Xinhua, at least 443 Zimbabweans were arrested for wildlife-related offences, together with 31 Zambians, seven Mozambicans and one South African.
Washaya-Moyo said Zambian poaching groups were responsible for cross-border elephant poaching in the Zambezi Valley, north of the country, while Mozambican elephant poachers target Gonarezhou and Save Valley Conservancy.
"It has now emerged that most of the poaching taking place inland is being perpetrated by syndicate members of different groups who are hired to form one larger organized gang due to various factors such as expertise in cyanide use and provision, knowledge of geographical areas and inside information, access, as well as local language for blending with the community," she said.
Illegal firearms are hired from one location to another, but authorities managed to confiscate 22 in the past year in operations which also resulted in the recovery of 76 tusks and 179 ivory pieces.
Zimbabwe has an elephant population of 83 000, the second highest in Africa, and about 880 black and white rhinos which are located in private conservation areas, national parks and private properties across the country.
Poachers killed at least 300 elephants and many other animals through cyanide poisoning between 2013 and 2016, prompting the authorities to strengthen anti-poaching efforts.
China in 2015 donated anti-poaching equipment worth $2.3 million to Zimbabwe for use in anti-poaching programs in the country's largest sanctuary Hwange National Park and in Mana Pools National Park, a World Heritage site.
The equipment included sport-utility-vehicles, pickup trucks, lorries, graders, tractors, more than 100 mobile radios, tents, flash lights and patrol clothing.
Zimbabwe has been under attack in the past few weeks over its controversial sale of 35 elephants to China.
See also:
Why Zimbabwe’s use of elephants to pay off old debt to China is problematic
The two sides of the Grace Mugabe-China elephants for military uniforms deal
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