Zim war vets poison rhinos
2010-01-19 14:40
Cape Town - Zimbabwean war veterans are said to be spreading their baleful influence over the rhino population of the country, by turning poacher and feeding them poisoned cabbages near water holes, in a game reserve in the Chiredzi district.
According to the Simply Green website, the veterans are working as poaching agents for South African based rhino horn dealers. When the animals come for water they will also eat the cabbages. They will then track them until they die, then take off the horns.
But the poachers have not stopped there. They have also poisoned water sources, which is killing cattle. The website quotes Nelson Maponga, a community spokesperson as saying: "The biggest problem is that our cattle also drink from the same sources and are also eating the same cabbages and dying.
"They are even poisoning some small dams around this area with the hope that rhinos will drink from them which have caused serious environmental problems in this area."
In addition to poisoning rhinos and cattle, Maponga reported that the war veterans have indiscriminately cut down trees to sell firewood, which has destroyed the surrounding wildlife habitat.
Simply Green said that Zimbabwe and South Africa form the epicentre of the rhino poaching crisis, which is poised to undermine decades of conservation success.
"The resurgence of mass rhino killings is driven by the deadly combination of demand for rhino horn and rising incomes in Asia, mostly China, and increasingly, Vietnam," the article said.
"Unfortunate cultural superstitions claim that rhino horn is a remedy for common ailments such as pain and fever, although extensive scientific testing has confirmed that rhino horn actually contains no medicinal properties."