Is the Zim government anti-poaching?

Is the Zim government anti-poaching?

Poaching is rife in most of Africa. It is decimating wildlife & protecting these animals is the job of the brave few who face daily battles with little or no support. This group, often referred to as “the thin green line” fight to protect what is left of the remaining, very fragile, dwindling wildlife population.

This article is about Zimbabwe, but it could be about almost any country in Africa. The situation is dire. We have all seen & hastily turned away from photographs of wildlife that has been killed & butchered by poachers to feed man’s greed. Could this decimation be government sanctioned? A recent article says it is.

A report posted by Lisa Groeneweg, written by Rory Young, Co-founder of Chengeta Wildlife, highlights the struggles & exposes the levels of government corruption that work against anti-poaching efforts. Rory tells, after leaving Zim, about how, while there, he was summoned to the OP, essentially the offices of the Zim CIO, another name for the secret police.

He had been on his way to train staff for anti-poaching efforts in the Nyaminyami area when he was summoned, interrogated & warned that if continued training he would be arrested. This, despite him having secured a residence permit & the authority of the police to do this training. He immediately stopped vital training work in in Zim, kept his mouth shut, & used the country only as a base while working elsewhere.

Rory could do nothing while hearing reports that poaching numbers soared in areas where it had previously been stopped due to anti-poaching initiatives. He was specifically told to stay far away from areas including Matusadona & Nyaminyami. After leaving Zim, he was able to disclose information that he was obviously unable to discuss while in the country. He raises some very disturbing issues.

He claims:

Mugabe’s gov’t, desperate for cash, is trading the country’s wildlife. Consider the young elephants sold to China which is legal but unethical.

Zanu PF & the CIO are broke & prepared to do almost anything to rake in funds.

Official gov’t departments use unethical means, the secret police, army & other agencies stop have no boundaries – They need cash to fund their spies & operations & use any means to get it.

He likens Zanu PF & the CIO to the Mafia

Any success cited in anti-poaching reports refers to opposition or “unauthorised” poachers being shot, while gov’t endorsed poaching activity continues unabated.

CIO operatives stated that they have spies reporting back to them from within NGOs

CIO / secret police influence reaches everywhere in Zim, no matter how small the town, village or settlement.

People dare not speak out against these corrupt organisations from within Zim.

Despite stopping training, the writer was never sure he would not be “arrested” when returning to/leaving Harare.

Rory Young continues to work for Chengeta Wildlife fighting poaching in Malawi, Guinea and elsewhere.

This article references the one posted here , with permission from Lisa Groeneweg.

Chengeta Wildlife are funded by donations. To learn more about them & what they checkout their website, or find them on FBook.

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