THE Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Authority (Zimparks) has enlisted the services of police to flush out a group of about 30 suspected Zambian poachers who invaded the Hwange and Zambezi national parks last week.
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Zimparks spokesperson Caroline Washaya-Moyo yesterday said they had killed one poacher, captured two others and recovered an assortment of firearms and elephant tusks.
“Thirty poachers from Zambia gained illegal entry into Hwange and Zambezi national parks on two separate occasions last week,” he said.
Of the 27 who escaped, 11 are believed to have fled into Botswana while 16 returned to Zambia.
“The authority is currently working with the police and a total of 62 rangers and 28 ZRP officers have since been deployed in two areas and investigations are continuing.”
Last year, the government said more than 100 elephants were killed by poachers at the Hwange National Park through cyanide poisoning. Several villagers in Tsholotsho and some from Bulawayo were arrested in connection with the mass killings of elephants.
Some wildlife experts believe the number of elephants that were killed was much higher than what was officially acknowledged.
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Zimbabwe is home to some of Africa’s largest elephant herds, with half of its estimated 80 000 elephants thought to be in Hwange.
