Alex Rose-Innes
In a shocking move to source revenue for a country which had been ravaged by Robert Mugabe and COVID-19, Zimbabwean wildlife authorities had announced that it would start selling hunting licences for elephants.
According to CNN, Tinashe Farawo, a spokesman for the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (ZPWMA), said declining tourism revenue as a result of the coronavirus pandemic was among the main reasons for the move. As many as 500, what conservationists call “endangered elephants”, would be shot to this effect. The logo of ZPWMA on its website is “in harmony with nature.”
Sports’ hunting generates multi-million US dollars for the country with rich overseas visitors, especially from the United States, killing endangered wildlife for trophies. The announcement of this decision to hunt the African savannah elephant comes on the heels of the species being declared critically endangered.
Simiso Mlevu, a spokesperson for the Center for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG) in Zimbabwe, called the decision “appalling” as it would definitely destroy the future of an entire species, but escalate human-wildlife conflicts across the African continent. The CNRG is an environmental and human rights advocacy group on the African continent.
But with human greed destroying the planet, it came as no surprise that Farawo from the ZPWMA would bluntly state the decision as being in the best interests of the people. And as a result, wildlife would mete out their own vengeance on local villagers.
Zimbabwe is not the only country who turned to trophy hunting of endangered animals. In December last year, Namibia sold almost 200 “high value” elephants up for sale. What the buyers did with the hapless animals, was no one’s concern.
