October 22, 2006, 13:15
Zimbabwean officials have recovered 22 tusks after suspected poachers killed 11 elephants in a state wildlife park, official media reported last week, adding that cases of poaching were on the rise.
Zimbabwe is home to some of Africa's largest game reserves, but local conservation activists say some species such as elephant and rhino are at risk from cross-border trophy hunters and rampant poaching by people struggling with hunger and rising poverty.
The country's security agents, who exchanged gunfire with the poachers, said two people were arrested while some of the poachers fled to Zambia through Botswana.
Human encroachment to blame - Mbewe
The elephants were killed in Chizarira National Park in central Zimbabwe. Richard Mbewe, the National Parks and Wildlife department spokesperson, blamed the incidents on human encroachment into wildlife sanctuaries.
"Chizarira is a problematic spot because of the border and the communities encroaching into wildlife areas," Mbewe told the state Herald newspaper. He was unavailable for further comment.
Conservationists say president Robert Mugabe's land seizures have seen some villagers settling in or near wildlife parks and involved in subsistence poaching while also giving cover to cross-border poachers.
Officials put Zimbabwe's elephant population at 89 000, more than half being found in Hwange National Park in the west, and say lack of funds has hamstrung the country's effective wildlife management capabilities.
Last year Hwange recorded several elephant deaths due to water shortages, a result of drought. - Reuters
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