Nonprofit helps reduce poaching in Zimbabwe’s Hwange community

By John Cassim

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AA) – Conservation efforts surrounding endangered painted dogs, popularly known as wild dogs, have helped reduce poaching in and around the Hwange National Park, wildlife officials in Zimbabwe have said.

“Poaching has significantly reduced, especially in Hwange National Park, where we have recorded zero incidents of elephant poaching for the past two years and zero rhino poaching incidents for the past six to seven years,” said Tinashe Farawo, spokesman for the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks).

“Very few cases of elephant poaching have been recorded in Katombora. Again, poaching of small game for subsistence has been recorded in areas such as Vic Falls, these areas are far from where the Painted Dog Conservation is operating,” said Farawo.

The Hwange National Park is 720 kilometers (447 miles) west of the capital Harare and is a premier wildlife haven with animals like elephants, lions, buffalos, giraffes, zebras, sables, and painted dogs.

Zimbabwe is home to nearly 700 painted dogs which are scattered across the country, and at least 200 live in the Hwange National Park.

At the turn of the 20th century, Africa had a population of 500,000 painted dogs in 39 countries.

But due to systematic bounty hunting, poachers’ snares, road accidents, and poor land management, their population has reduced to less than 7,000.

In the face of extinction, the Painted Dog Conservation, which was founded in 1992, raised awareness among the public in a bid to address such threats, hence the volunteer community’s anti-poaching unit.

“Every member of the community has been sensitized. But in earnest, we have 50 volunteers at any given time who constitute seven groups that operate from Sunday to Saturday,” Enock Zulu, the head of PDC’ anti-poaching unit, told Anadolu Agency.

“They conduct snare sweeps and report on any illegal activities they encounter during their patrols. This has helped reduce poaching within the area,” he said.

- Anti-poaching operations

“Currently, the voluntary anti-poaching patrols have been so successful in and around Hwange that farmers living as far as Gwayi Conservancy, more than 40 km away (24.8 mi), are requesting to work with our teams,” local Hwange chief Dingani Nelukoba told Anadolu Agency.

According to Nelukoba, the Painted Dog Conservation has set up a clinic, a school, and some vegetable gardens for the community.

“One day seven years ago, when a female painted dog was caught by a snare and died, the whole community decided to start voluntary anti-poaching units to protect the dogs, as their existence meant our communities were also going to benefit from the organization,” he said.

If the community does not help conserve and protect painted dogs, the PDC may shut doors and the community will lose some of the benefits of its existence, Nelukoba said.

While the anti-poaching work by voluntary villagers is working wonders, there are many other reasons why poaching is going down, according to the Zimparks officials.

“Reasons for the decline in poaching are the strong law enforcement and anti-poaching strategies put in place, stakeholder collaboration which includes other security agencies, and donor support, while deterrent sentences given to those convicted are a strong lesson to would-be poachers,” Farawo added.

David Kuvawoga, the PDC’s operations manager, said that “painted dogs are (classified under the scientific name of) Lycaon pictus, meaning they are neither wolf nor dog, and cannot crossbreed with domestic dogs.”

“Hence, once their pack is disturbed, they separate into smaller groups and probably miss their breeding season that year.

“Poachers do not necessarily target painted dogs but other animals, and the dogs end up getting caught with snares, leading to death or injuries. The dogs also die when hit by fast-moving cars as they love to rest on tarmacs at night,” Kuvawoga added.

He said this is the reason that only 50% of their puppies reach the age of one, when they are released by their mothers and join other packs, thereby reducing their breeding pace.

“Yes, according to our research, painted dogs are no longer threatened with poaching in the Hwange area, but their population has just stabilized, not increasing much and not declining, and if it remains like this, we will start recording a gradual increase soon.”

- Community awareness and involvement

The PDC has done a great deal of community involvement, thereby increasing conservation awareness and reducing poaching.

Apart from constructing a school, a clinic and providing water by sinking boreholes, the PDC has also introduced some school programs meant to increase knowledge among young children.

“We have 21 primary schools within the operating area and they come for a four-day program where we teach them about the painted dogs and various environmental concepts.

“When they come to us, we offer them a rare opportunity to go into the Hwange National Park to appreciate wildlife, and we feel this leaves a stamp in the mind about conservation,” said Kuvawoga.

Most of these people living close to wildlife sanctuaries have a negative appreciation of wildlife due to human-wildlife conflict.

“For some, they will be seeing an elephant in its natural habitat for the first time, as most of the time they see them while they will be destroying their crops. All we are doing is to enhance behavioral change,” he added.