Lion Attacks In Kariba [ZCTF]

9th April 2013

LION ATTACKS IN KARIBA

Last month, 3 people were killed by lions in Kariba. The problem in Kariba is that the smaller plains game is almost non existent due to poaching. This means it is very difficult for the predators to find food. A lioness recently attacked and killed 2 Africans in a township near Kariba town. She and her 2 eighteen month old cubs fed on one of the victims. A few days later, a young African man and his girlfriend went off into the bush to partake in some afternoon delights and were attacked by the lioness whilst doing so. The girlfriend was killed and the man ran off in terror wearing nothing but a condom. The police and National Parks, fearing the consequences of the lions having tasted human blood, killed the 3 lions.

There were apparently another 4 fully grown male lions in the pride which are still roaming the area.

We are now very concerned that the remaining 4 lions will also be killed by National Parks and we would like to try and move them to a less populated area like Matusadona or Mana Pools. In order to do this, we need to raise in the region of USD7 000 and to assist with fundraising, we are doing a silent auction of the painting below.

The painting, titled “Young Warrior” is an original oil on canvas painted by Cheryl Rodrigues and measures 77cm x 90cm. There is a reserve price of USD2 000. If anyone can offer more than this, please email us with your offer. Any shipping charges will be for the account of the buyer.

Johnny Rodrigues
Chairman for Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force
Landline: 263 4 339065
Mobile: 263 712 603 213
Email: galorand@mweb.co.zw
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/ZCTF-Zimbabwe-Conservation-Task-Force/246013052094585
Website: http://www.zctfofficialsite.org.

The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force relies soley on public donations. Your donation can help to preserve the wildlife in Zimbabwe. If you would like to assist, please contact us.

ZCTF [ZIMBABWE CONSERVATION TASK FORCE]

14th March 2012

 

UPDATE ON CHIREDZI RIVER CONSERVANCY

 

Despite numerous reports and photos having been supplied to the authorities, the destruction of Chiredzi River Conservancy by illegal settlers continues unabated. It is now alleged that the settlers are putting together a petition to present to parliament requesting that all the elephants be shot as they are destroying their crops.  This is a very strange request in view of the fact that crops can’t be successfully grown in this arid, unarable area.

 

Settlers have now started invading Oscro Ranch which is one of the last remaining areas of Chiredzi River Conservancy with no settlers. They are moving into the area, chopping down trees and building shelters. All these people have already taken land elsewhere in the conservancy. Reports are made daily to the police but they have not responded. It is alleged that war vets are the driving force behind these invasions.

 

RHINO POACHING IN SOUTH AFRICA

 

Rhino poaching in South Africa has reached shocking proportions with 448 killed last year and it is believed, around 110 killed this year already. A big thank you to the South African authorities who are making a huge effort to strike back at the poachers.

 

Five men, including 2 game farmers and game rangers have been arrested in a sting operation involving an alleged rhino poaching syndicate. The men arrested were Ewart Potgieter, Riaan Vermaak, Filemon Mbatha, Nkosinathi Sithole and Mduduzi Sithole.

 

In a stop-and-search operation by South African police, Joseph (Big Joe) Nyalunga, one of the most wanted men in the underworld of rhino poaching was arrested after being caught with 4 rhino horns hidden behind the seat of his car.

 

Four people were arrested in Bedfordview when they were found in possession of rhino horn after a car crash.

 

Five poachers were arrested at Madikwe Game Reserve in the North West.

 

Two men believed to be linked to several rhino poaching incidents in Kruger National Park were arrested after being found with a weapon aand ammunition stashed under the seat of their car.

 

Three Mozambiquan citizens, Aselmo Baloyi, Jawaki Nkuna and Ismael Baloyi were sentenced to 25 years each after being found guilty of illegally huntin rhino in Kruger National Park.

 

Chumlong Lemtongthai and Marnus Steyl appeared in court after being accused of running one of South Africa’s largest rhino horn smuggling syndicates wherein they used prostitutes to pose as trophy hunters.

 

Nine suspected poachers have been arrested in the Limpopo and North West.

 

A man has been arrested in Pretoria for illegal possession of rhino horns.

 

A driver, Sipho Mkhwanazi was sentenced to 3 years in prison or a fine of R10 000 for transporting rhino horns.

 

Two rhino poachers were shot dead in a follow up operation after eight rhino carcasses were discovered near Pretoriuskop and Lower Sabi.

 

Four government wildlife staff including a game ranger and a traffic policeman have been arrested for killing rhinos in the Kruger National park.

 

Three veterinarians and five other men appeared in court in connection with the wrongful possession and distribution of scheduled veterinary drugs commonly used in rhino poaching.

 

 

SHERWOOD TREE PLANTING DAY

 

Sherwood Golf Club has committed itself to helping the environment by going green and one of their first projects is to plant up to 2000 trees. They are working hand in hand with COSMO Trust, the Monavale community organisation which maintains one of the few remaining wetlands in the Harare area.

 

On Saturday, 3rd March, they held a tree planting ceremony at the golf course where trees, supplied by COSMO were sold to interested people. The trees purchased were planted on the golf course and tagged with the purchaser’s name so that the buyer can monitor its growth. The money raised from selling the trees will go towards preserving the wetlands.

 

In addition to tree planting, Sherwood Golf Club is also using environmentally friendly fertilizers. They are actively involved with various organisations and individuals in cleaning up the environment by collecting materials for recycling.  Empty tin cans (beer or soft drinks) can be dropped off at the club where they will be stored for recycling.

 

The official tree planting ceremony was held at 12 noon and a talk was given by the Honourable Member of Parliament, Ms J Majome.

 

We would like to comment Sherwood Golf Club for the stance they have taken in helping to preserve our environment and we encourage other clubs to follow their example.

 

THANK YOU

 

A very big thank you to the following people who have assisted us with funds recently.  If you have donated and your name is not on the list, please email us so we can check up on it.

 

John & Helen Buckle

Hugh Atkinson

Claire Ives

Vikki Rolf and friends

Carol Wales Smith

Jessica Wiggins

Deborah Robertson

Christine Lesieur

Michelle Sindall

Elisabeth Stotter-Tromm

Kari Hess

Caroline Redmond

Dorian Richardson

Anita Staines

Liz Grainger

Chris Noon

Christine Mashburn

Michelle Nortje

 

 

Johnny Rodrigues Chairman for Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force Landline:        263 4 336710 Mobile:           263 712 603 213 Email:             galorand@mweb.co.zw Website:        www.zctf.mweb.co.zw Website:        www.zimbabwe-art.com Facebook:     http://www.facebook.com/pages/ZCTF-Zimbabwe-Conservation-Task-Force/246013052094585 Temporary website: www.zctfofficialsite.org.

 

The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force relies soley on public donations. Your donation can help to preserve the wildlife in Zimbabwe. If you would like to assist, please contact us.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

   

 

ZCTF Message 13th July 2011

13th July 2011
 
FEEDING FRENZY ON KARIBA ISLANDS
 
The Kariba Islands Feeding Programme being undertaken by the Bumi Hills Anti Poaching Unit (BHAPU) is proving to be a great success and only 8 animals have died this year, compared with 79 last year. The BHAPU scouts have been risking their lives taking the National Foods stockfeed over to the islands daily by boat in extremely rough water to make sure the animals are fed. The animals have become so used to the feeding routine that they have almost lost their fear of humans in their attempts to be first at the feeding sites.

ZANU THUGS SLAUGHTER LOWVELD ELEPHANTS
 
2 young elephants were allegedly slaughtered by ZANU PF supporters targeting wildlife conservancies in the Lowveld.  A young elephant bull and a lactating cow were left with their heads cut off but with their tusks intact. The elephants were part of a popular herd that had become a tourist attraction. The herd was started in 1982 when some elephants were orphaned in the drought and reared by hand. They were therefore an easy target for the thugs because they trusted humans, having been bottle fed as youngsters.
 
THANK YOU
 
We would like to thank the following people who have very kindly assisted us with funding:
 
Liz Grainger
John & Helen Buckle
Priscilla Feratter-Mora
Jacqui Clingman
Hugh Atkinson
Chris & Robert Noon
Colin Cormack
Susan Carnahan                 
 
 
 
Johnny Rodrigues
Chairman for Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force
Landline:        263 4 339065
Mobile:           263 712 603 213
Email:             galorand@mweb.co.zw
Website:        www.zctf.mweb.co.zw
Website:        www.zimbabwe-art.com
Facebook:    http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=15148470211
Temporary website: www.zctfofficialsite.org.
 
The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force relies soley on public donations. Your donation can help to preserve the wildlife in Zimbabwe. If you would like to assist, please contact us.

 

ZCTF News

18th April 2011
 
SNARE REMOVALS
 
Two snare removals were successfully carried out near Hwange recently. The first was a 12 to 14 year old bull elephant with a copper wire snare around his front leg and the second was a 12 year old bull with a steel wire around his right back leg. A big thank you to those responsible for removing the snares and also to the donors of the M99 which made the snare removals possible.

THOUGHTS ON RHINO POACHING
 
Last week we reported the dehorning by poachers of a rhino in the Save Conservancy. The most horrifying aspect of this atrocity was that the mutilated rhino did not die in the attack and was left wandering around in agony. Coincidentally, as seen on the South African TV programme, Carte Blanche last Sunday, a very similar incident happened in South Africa recently where the horns were hacked out of a rhino and it was also left alive. The footage was extremely upsetting.

Various methods are employed to try and prevent rhino from falling prey to poachers but the slaughter and maiming of this endangered species continues unabated. Dehorning is quite a popular method but this doesn’t seem to deter the poachers. The rhinos endure a certain amount of stress in the dehorning exercise and once their horn has been removed, they no longer have that defence mechanism. In the case of female rhinos, when they give birth to a calf, they need the horn to help the newborn rhino to its feet. The other disadvantage of dehorning is that the horn grows back and the dehorning process has to be repeated on a regular basis throughout the rhino’s lifetime.
 
Instead of spending money on dehorning, we believe that the best and most cost effective way to minimize the poaching and try to prevent the extinction of the species is to administer poison to the horns. This was done by a farmer in South Africa and he says the poison, whilst deadly to humans, has no effect whatsoever on the rhino. This may seem like a drastic measure but the only way to prevent rhino poaching is to discourage people from buying it and it would only need to be done once to each rhino. Signs could be erected where rhinos are kept warning poachers that the horns are poisoned. Warnings could also be issued through media campaigns worldwide and the word would soon get around that consumption of rhino horn could prove fatal. 
 
 
Johnny Rodrigues
Chairman for Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force
Landline:        263 4 339065
Mobile:           263 712 603 213
Email:             galorand@mweb.co.zw
Website:        www.zctf.mweb.co.zw
Website:        www.zimbabwe-art.com
Facebook:    http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=15148470211
Temporary website: www.zctfofficialsite.org.
 
The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force relies soley on public donations. Your donation can help to preserve the wildlife in Zimbabwe. If you would like to assist, please contact us.

MATENDERE RHINO [ZCTF]

13th April 2011
 
MATENDERE RHINO
 
Last week, scouts reported a severely wounded black rhino wandering around Save Conservancy. Rangers were despatched to locate the rhino and were met with a horrifying and gruesome sight. The rhino had been shot several times by poachers and the horns had been hacked out. They left the rhino for dead but the poor animal regained consciousness and was found wandering around, obviously in agony. We have not included the photos in the body of this email because they are extremely disturbing.  Anyone wanting to see the photos may open the attachment.
 
Vets were called in and as the animal had managed to survive the savage attack and was still eating properly, they decided to try and save it. They darted it and administered masses of antibiotics in the hope that the horrific wound will heal.
 
Also of great concern is the fact that this rhino had been dehorned last year and the poachers were not deterred by the fact that it had only a small stump of horn. Despite the obvious determination of the poachers, the authorities are reluctant to provide the conservators with suitable weaponry to protect these endangered animals.
 
We are truly heartbroken and devasted by this barbaric act.
 
 
Johnny Rodrigues
Chairman for Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force
Landline:        263 4 339065
Mobile:           263 712 603 213
Email:             galorand@mweb.co.zw
Website:        www.zctf.mweb.co.zw
Website:        www.zimbabwe-art.com
Facebook:    http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=15148470211
Temporary website: www.zctfofficialsite.org.
 
The Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force relies soley on public donations. Your donation can help to preserve the wildlife in Zimbabwe. If you would like to assist, please contact us.

ZCTF and Brogue: AG Prize Helping The Earth

For their efforts and making the world a better place to live through their talents, ZCTF and Brogue will share the 2010 AG Prize for Helping The Earth.

Brogue: A Scottish Sensation

http://my.nowpublic.com/culture/brogue-twist-scottish-music

1. How was Brogue formed?
The concept and the music for Brogue was formed in 2005 as a repercussion of the hard times we were going through in Zimbabwe as musicians trying to survive. We knew there was to be no scope for the future of our music there and so we needed to come up with something else. Hence Brogue was born.  

 

2. What was the purpose behing the recording of Popscots?
When the recession hit us in early 2009, we learned that it had a very big impact on most people here in the UK and the mood in general was very gloomy. It certainly altered the way in which we thought, which in turn affected our music and it changed all our plans. As a result we decided to take on Popscots as a sideline project. We hoped that perhaps it could serve as a way to help lift some people out of the doldrums as it is a carefree, happy and light-hearted non-stop dance album.

3. What is the purpose behind “Rhythm Of The Celts”?
The ‘Rhythm Of The Celts’ was Brogue’s first album. It was a labour of love for us and what we were trying to achieve while recording it was to re-arrange traditional celtic music according to our own acquired inspirations and influences. In general the album boasts a cross between African rhythms and Scottish melodies, with sometimes small motifs from other parts of the world also thrown in for good measure. A little bit of this and a little bit of that; our own audio ‘tapestry’ in a sense.

4. How is Brogue able to accumulate material for recordings such as “Rhythm Of The Celts”?
All our material was recorded using real acoustic instruments wherever possible. Most of the instruments were played by David Scobie, I did play some of the instruments too, but he did the majority of the work when it came to the production and laying each track down one by one. All the female backing vocals you hear on the recordings are my voice and all the male parts are David’s voice. So it really was a collaboration between the two of us, co-arranging and building it up piece by piece, layer by layer.

 

5. What has Brogue done with regards to tours and promotions?

One of the things which we have desperately yearned to do has been to get on the road and to go on tour. We were putting some plans into action during 2008 with the hope and intention of touring in 2009. However, when the recession hit it sadly crushed all our plans and we were forced to put our efforts on hold. It is a very costly thing to do these days and without the correct amount of financial backup and support, we cannot safely go on tour. If we won the lottery today, we would be on the road as quickly as a tour could be put together. Perhaps what we really need is a sponsor who believes in us and our music enough to go on such a journey with us, and to give us the support we need, but until our fortune changes, we will be confined to producing more albums in the studio.

6. Will Brogue tour North America in the future?
If we could afford it and if America wanted us there, absolutely yes!! I couldn’t think of a more exciting prospect.

 

7. Where can the general public buy Brogue CD and Souvenirs?
Our music is available from our website www.broguemusic.com

A Conversation with Johnny Rodrigues and ZCTF

The film “There’s A Rhino In My House” is being shown in Harare, Zimbabwe by Imire Safari Ranch. The comments about the film presents a time to comment about the conservation efforts in Zimbabwe. Johnny Rodrigues of ZCTF has been kind enough to accept the underwriter’s invitation to an interview. Here is the interview which was conducted via E Mail.

1. Imire Safari Ranch is planning a film “There’s A Rhino In My House” What is the film about?

 
It is the story of Tatenda, the black rhino at Imire. In November 2007, when Tatenda was only 6 weeks old, his mother and father were shot by poachers at Imire Safari Ranch and John and Judy Travers, owner of Imire had to hand rear him. The ZCTF raised funds to buy the special fat free milk that Tatenda needed. The milk was not available in Zimbabwe so I made regular trips to South Africa to buy the milk until Tatenda was 18 months old.
 
The film covers the period from when Tatenda was orphaned until he was released into the semi wild in the Imire Game Park late last year. It is very entertaining because up until he was released, he lived at the farmhouse with John and Judy and he would often walk through their house looking for something to eat. It’s very strange to see a rhino walking through somebody’s house.
 
2. What is the purpose of the film?
The film was actually made by Anne Somerfield of Oxford Scientific Films in the UK for Animal Planet and it has already been aired on Animal Planet in some countries. Anne Somerfield received awards for “Meercat Manor’. Animal Planet are on our mailing list so they received all the reports we circulated about Tatenda and they thought it would make a very interesting documentary. It’s mainly for entertainment purposes but it does show that it is possible to hand rear a baby rhino and then successfully release it back into the wild. It should make people realize how important we feel it is to ensure the survival of this endangered species. 
 

3. How is the film and fundraiser possible taking into account what has transpired in Zimbabwe?

I’m not sure what you mean by this. With regard to the film, as I said, it wasn’t made by Zimbabweans but by a professional film company from the UK. They obtained permission from the Zimbabwean government and it wasn’t a problem because the film is only about Tatenda’s life. There are no politics involved that the government could have objected to.
 
As for the fundraiser, I wasn’t involved in this at all so I’m not sure how the Travers managed to organize it although it’s not a big problem to organize a fund raiser here. 
 

4. How long did it take to organize the fundraiser?

I don’t know – I wasn’t involved in it at all. I was only asked to spread the word about it.
 

5. Who are The Tourettes?

I’ve never actually heard about them but they are obviously a singing group or something.
 
6. How can the underwriter establish contact with them?
Maybe ask the Travers at Imire.

 

I would like to thank you Johnny Rodrigues and ZCTF for your time in this interview. It is hoped that there will be more conversation about wildlife conservation in Zimbabwe. My best wishes to you in this Christmas Season and 2010.

Nestles Cancels Deal With Mugabe’s Wife

A few days ago, I wrote an article about the deals between Swiss Multinational Nestle and Mugabe’s wife. The story generated attention with Now Public readers and members of the staff. It also generated a boycott threat from various human rights groups. I can now write that the story has a happy ending.

Nestle has announced that it will no longer buy milk from the farm owned by Grace Mugabe [wife of Zimbabwe President Robert Mugabe]. This is great news and the Now Public Staff, readers, and human rights grous involved in exposing this story deserve a big thank you.

http://my.nowpublic.com/world/nestles-cancels-milk-deal-mugabes-wife

 

 

 

 

Links Between Nestle and Mugabe’s Wife

A report from the British Sunday Telegraph has revealed that the Swiss Multinational Company Nestle has been buying milk from a farm that was seized by the Zimbabwe Government and currently belongs to Grace Mugabe [wife of the Zimbabwean President].

It has been revealed that Nestle buys the milk on a cash basis. Nestle defends its decision on the basis of “preventing food shortages, loss of jobs”. Nestle also contended that it had no other option but to buy in the opne market after the collapse of the Zimbabwe Economy.

Nestle has not been bound by any legislation which sanctions the Mugabe regime. It remains to be seen how Nestle will resolve its issue with milk so as to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest. It also remains to be seen how Nestle intends to do business when the economy in Zimbabwe rebounds.

http://my.nowpublic.com/world/nestle-links-mugabes-wife#comment-455230