Online Reporter
The Herald, 20 November 1992
ANIMAL colonies in Zimbabwe’s south-eastern Low-veld have lost nearly 2 000 animals to poachers since January this year despite concerted police and ecologists’ efforts to contain the situation.
Poaching cases ranging between 60 and 100 were reported in Chiredzi district alone every month between January and October this year. There are growing fears in the region that the scourge, if allowed to continue unabated, could result in the extinction of some animal species such as the rhino.
The two major animal sanctuaries in the region Gonarezhou and Mabalauta have been targets of poachers while the drought has on the other hand decimated hundreds of animals.
Massive retrenchments on sugar plantations have resulted in a sharp drop of the food security in the region. The steep rise in poaching has been blamed on hunger, sources said yesterday.
Up to 7 000 people have this year lost their jobs on the two major sugar estates. The former sugar plantation workers are said to have sustained not less than 50 000 people in the region.
Poachers have also attacked animals on commercial farms in the Chiredzi area where hundreds of animals had been relocated in the face of the devastating drought.
Police in Chiredzi said yesterday that commercial farmers who had offered sanctuary to the endangered animals are reporting poaching cases almost on a daily basis despite increased police patrols.
The wildlife population in the south-east has dropped to alarming levels as the poachers become more sophisticated in their operations and are sometimes engaged in fights with law officers.
Lessons for today:
- Drought and widespread job losses, such as the 7,000 sugar plantation workers laid off, left many impoverished people struggling to support themselves, leading some to resort to poaching for survival.
- Nearly 2 000 animals were killed in the Lowveld in 1992, raising fears of extinction for vulnerable species like rhinos and disrupting ecological balance.
- Despite police patrols and ecological initiatives, wildlife losses were still significant, showing that protecting fauna requires sustained and evolving interventions from both authorities and communities.
- Poaching remains a serious issue in Zimbabwe, particularly in Lowveld and rhino habitats. From 2019 to mid-2024, at least 422 Big Five animals (elephants, rhinos, lions, buffalos) were illegally killed, with a financial loss of about US $7.8 million.
- Zimbabwe hosts around 1,033 rhinos, but organised crime still targets them. The Lowveld Rhino Trust (LRT), supported by international partners, is actively engaged in patrols, monitoring, translocations, wound treatment, and community outreach.
- Drone surveillance, GPS tracking, smart fences, and real-time monitoring are being deployed by ZimParks, VFAPU, and others to detect and deter poachers.
- The factors behind the Lowveld poaching crisis in 1992, economic hardship, environmental stress, and weakened law enforcement—remain relevant today. Poaching is still a critical threat in Zimbabwe, but advances in technology, stronger partnerships, and community-based conservation efforts are helping to turn the tide.
