Awareness On Wildlife Crimes Bearing Fruit In Mashala

By Hwange Bureau

Community awareness campaigns on wildlife crimes are finally yielding fruit in Mashala village, Hwange district.

Mashala village is one of the areas highly prone to poaching.

Recently villagers in this community discovered a dead elephant and instead of taking the ivory, they reported the matter to the authorities and the ivory was secured.

This paid off following efforts of Shangano Arts Trust to team up with internationally recognised award-winning, top ranger Amos Gwema who has been fighting wildlife crime in communities surrounding Hwange National park.

On the 9th of January 2022, Brian Ncube discovered a dead elephant while heading his cattle and made efforts to protect the dead animal as well as encouraging other community members not to dehorn the elephant.

“When I discovered the elephant I was herding cattle at the grazing land close to WK mine. I quickly notified my father who went on to inform the headman and Chief Hwange. The Chief then alerted the officials from Zimbabwe National Park who came and found the dead elephant with its ivory still intact.” 

“The elephant was not injured and I made sure that the elephant was not tampered with until the park’s officials attended the scene. Had I dehorned the animal, that would have constituted a criminal act which would haunt me the rest of my life,” said Ncube.

Gwema who has won the African Ranger of the year award said the Mashala incident is one of the success stories of community members who have benefitted from his campaigns against wildlife crime.

He said the community awareness campaigns involve ex –wildlife convicts who teach and tell villagers their experiences in prison, conscientising the community that wildlife crime does not pay.

“The community is the first line of defence for effective wildlife conservation while the judiciary is the last line of defence. Without community support there is no success. If you see something, say something. This is the message we pass to the community through art and poetry.”

Gwema’s prestigious award has currently put Zimbabwe on the world map and was from Tusk whose patron is His Majesty Prince William the Duke of Cambridge.

Meanwhile, Petros Ndlovu the Shangano Arts Trust director who has been working with Gwema said their role as a Trust is to come up with plays, songs and poems against wildlife crimes.

“Our poems and plays are engaging the community. We encourage people to report wildlife crimes as well as live in harmony with wildlife,” said Ndlovu.

“So far we have done performances in Lupote, Jwaphe, Cross Dete, Lukosi, Chezhou, Mabale and Shangano communities. Next month we will be in Madumabisa, Makwika, Matetsi and Donde where we will be performing against the killing of pangolins.”

Of late, with the help of the community, a pangolin was returned to Hwange National Parks after communities discovered it roaming in their fields. Indaba