Chronicle Editor
Sharon Chimenya, Masvingo Correspondent
THE Zimbabwe National Park has translocated black rhinos into the Gonarezhou National Park in the Lowveld, more than 25 years after the animals were poached to extinction in the area.
This is the third time that the black rhinos have been introduced into the park after the last of the original black rhino population was poached into extinction in the 1930s. They were re-introduced between the 1969 and 1977 when black rhinos from the Zambezi Valley were brought to the park.
The rhino poaching that swept through the continent in the early 1980s did not spare the national park with the last black rhino being poached in 1994. In an interview, Zimparks spokesperson, Mr Tinashe Farawo said that they have translocated a good number of rhinos into the national park and could not disclose the number for security reasons.
He said Zimparks has put up mechanisms in place to ensure the safety of the animals. “We have successfully translocated a good number of black rhinos into the park after 27 years. We have put mechanisms in place to make sure that they are safe from poaching”.
Londile Moyo
Online Reporter