Cindy-Lou Dale | Photojournalist

Let the killing begin

The Official Slaughter of a World Heritage

In 2003 the BBC reported that some 80 percent of the wild animals living on commercial game farms in Zimbabwe had already been killed. For the few still remaining there is little hope.

A conservation disaster of unparalleled proportions has erupted in Zimbabwe in the last few days. Faced with worsening food shortages, the

Zimbabwean government has issued orders to its national parks officials to cooperate with rural regional councils and begin the slaughter of big game for distribution to its starving citizens.

Near Lake Kariba -- a key wildlife refuge, ten elephants were recently shot by national park rangers. Four of these killings took place in plain sight of tourists.

This new ruling is a major blow to wildlife preservation organizations in their attempts to re-establish the dwindling number of wild animals.

Zimbabwean land confiscation policies were not only directed at agricultural property but included private game ranches and nature reserves also, leaving the wildlife to the mercy of war veterans. Most of these ranches and reserves are now completely devoid of wildlife.

Tourism and its network of safari camps were, until recently, the only economic asset remaining in the country. Now the tourism industry is dead and it is expected that the remaining wild animals will follow soon.

Officials from the national parks’ claim much of the poaching is at subsistence level -- folk desperate for food. However, officials also state militiamen kill the wild animals purely for the sake of killing, either by way of automatic machine-gun fire or grenades. Wildlife authorities fear the impact will be far greater when armed rangers enter the reserves and game ranches, with the sole purpose of securing meat for the masses; a licence to kill and wipe out what wildlife is left.

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