From: barnhart@gagme.chi.il.us (Mr. Aaron Barnhart)
Newsgroups: soc.culture.african
Subject: IPS: ZIMBABWE: WILDLIFE SUFFERS AS NATION FACES STARVATION
Date: 13 Oct 92 03:53:44 GMT
Organization: Evanston, Illinois, U.S.A.
Originator: barnhart@gagme

Copyright Inter Press Service 1992, all rights reserved.  Permission to re-
print within 7 days of original date only with permission from 'newsdesk'.

Reference: Agriculture; Environment
Title: ZIMBABWE: WILDLIFE SUFFERS AS NATION FACES STARVATION


an inter press service feature

by godfrey karoro

harare, oct 5 (ips) -- while zimbabwe's efforts are being made
to ensure the country's 11 million people survive the worst
drought in living memory, at least 60 percent of the wildlife
could be wiped out before the end of the year.

about 50 percent of the people face starvation and the
government is striving to save their lives by importing food.

at the same time, government and non-governmental
environmentalists, however, are concerned about the looming
catastrophe facing the country's wildlife.

tourism, expected to earn about 100 million u.s. dollars in
foreign currency this year, is expected to suffer the most
because of the depletion of wildlife -- the biggest draw card for
tourism in africa.

the base product of wildlife includes the sale of meat, hides,
horns for trophies, hunting of big game and plains game, while
the non-consumptive products are photography, accommodation, bird
watching and fishing.

most affected is the bottom third of zimbabwe whose axis is
from the town of mutare, the eastern border with mozambique, and
northern matabeleland in south-western zimbabwe.

with poor rainfall, the area is only suited to wildlife and
cattle ranching unlike other areas in the north where such crops
as cotton, maize and tobacco are also grown.

''we have seen a mass dying of cattle and wildlife in the area
as a result of the drought'', says the executive officer of the
wildlife producers' association (wpa), john white.

''it will take a long time to build up the animal populations,
even if we get enough rains for the next few years'', white told
ips.

although white does not want to guess how many animals have
perished so far, he says environmental researchers in the
adjacent northern transvaal, south africa, recently advised that
at least 60 percent of the wildlife there should be ''destocked
as they are likely to die anyway''.

''maybe we (in zimbabwe) will lose as many animals as there
is neither grass nor water in most parts of the lowveld,'' adds
white. (more/ips)


zimbabwe: wildlife (2)

some species will suffer more than others, especially grazers,
while it will take longer for browsers whose problems will
manifest soon when the leaves fall before the onset of the rain
season which normally begins in november.

according to the minister of tourism and natural resources,
wildlife in national parks, facing a serious shortage of water,
have been adversely affected by the drought.

''all animals have been affected and we have lost all our
hippos in gonarezhou (national park)'', admits herbert murerwa.

zimbabwe's july 1991 wildlife populations estimates show
that out of about 43 species, the country had 6,800
hippopotami, 70,000 elephant, 71,000 buffalo and 223,000
impala.

to minimise the wildlife mortality, the international union
for the conservation of nature and natural resources (iucn)
southern african regional office is raising funds locally and
internationally to assist in the relocation of animals from dry
areas.

iucn regional director, india musokotwane, says local non-
governmental organisations (ngos) are concerned about the fate
of wildlife in southern africa.

''ngos feel they are duty-bound to do something about the
country's wildlife'', he says without quantifying how much
is required.

assistance is needed to catch animals and put them in
paddocks where they can be fed, watered and cared for and take
food to animals in the bush although a very expensive and time
consuming exercise,

the assistance is also needed to catch animals and move
them out of the seriously affected areas to places where there
is still good grass until the drought is over, and cull animals
in a destocking exercise and give the meat to starving people.

''people are donating foodstaffs, salt, grass and transport.
'save our wildlife heritage' has been set up to assist mainly
with the hippo on rivers on state, commercial and communal
land'', says white.

''out of an estimated 7,000 hippos in gonarezhou (national
park), maybe they are down to 40 now because of the intense
heat and lack of water, says the director of national
parks, willie nduku.

despite the decreasing numbers of animals, the chief executive
officer of the communal areas management programme for indigenous
resources (campfire) says tourism has not yet been affected much.

''but if we go to next season without rain, the situation will
be felt,'' taparendava maveneke says. (end/ips/en/gk/apc/92)