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AT least 11 rhinos have been killed by poachers in Zimbabwe this year, officials have said. Of that number, two had been dehorned in the hope that poachers would spare them, according to Ms Caroline Washaya-Moyo, of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.The dehorning and killing of rhinos was a clear indication of the need to implement other strategies than dehorning to curb poaching of the endangered species, she added.
Ms Washaya-Moyo said presently, the country has just more than 700 both black and white rhinos.
“Poachers killed two white dehorned rhinos in Matopo National Park last week. One of the two rhinos was dehorned in February 2008 while the other was dehorned in September 2013. Information at hand reveals that the poachers carried out their illegal activity at night and investigations are underway,” she said.
Ms Washaya–Moyo said dehorning only works during the day when poachers can see the animal clearly and not during the night.
“We need other strategies, we need to consider other factors to curb poaching because in this case, dehorning the rhinos was not the best solution. They were killed for nothing — it was dark, the poachers did not realise that they were killing dehorned rhinos.”
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