According to an official on Saturday, the Zimbabwean government has approved the use of bow and arrow hunting of buffalo. This, in a bid to seize a growing part of the international sports trophy hunting market.
Botswana, a next-door neighbour recently lifted a five-year ban on elephant hunting which didn’t go down well with conservationists who oppose the argument that it will lead to better organization of animal stocks and provide funds for poor countries.
With increasing competition in the market for wealthy hunters seeking a trophy specimen for display, it explains Zimbabwe’s move, as it boasts a healthy population of buffalo running into hundreds of thousands.
The Chronicle newspaper said 93 elephants were flown to parks in China and four to Dubai between 2012 and 2018. It also reported that they were sold in a price range of between $13,500 and $41,500 each.
The country’s wildlife is already a draw for tourists as well as trophy hunters from the United States, Europe, and South Africa.
Further buttressing the argument, earlier this month, the cash-strapped government said it had sold nearly 100 elephants to China and Dubai for a total price of $2.7 million over six years, citing overpopulation in the national parks, encroaching into human settlements, destruction of crops and posing a risk to human life.