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Zimbabwe: conservation group urges stiffer penalties for rhino poaching

Xinhua, January 15, 2016 Adjust font size:

A conservation group has called for stiffer penalties to be imposed on poachers in the wake of increased rhino poaching in Zimbabwe, which more than doubled to at least 50 in 2015.

Lowveld Rhino Trust director Raoul du Toit told Xinhua Thursday that there was need for tightening up of the judiciary process to curb poaching of the endangered species, whose population has declined to below 800 in Zimbabwe.

Du Toit lamented that there had been a pattern in the country of poachers being awarded bail while appealing their sentences, and this had led many to escape.

Poachers, he said, must be held in jail rather being awarded bail after sentencing while the appeal takes place.

"Any reasonable court must conclude that any such poacher is likely to abscond owing to the heavy penalties that he faces. Many poachers have escaped in this way. Therefore considerable tightening up of the judicial process is essential," he said.

Convicted poachers don't usually get sentences of more than nine years in Zimbabwe, a position that has often been criticized by conservationists for fuelling poaching activities in the country.

According to du Toit, at least 50 rhinos were poached in Zimbabwe last year compared to 20 in 2014.

"42 of the 50 confirmed deaths were black rhinos, while 8 were white rhinos," he said.

He said the sharp rise in rhino poaching last year was due to several factors, among them, poachers' new interest in rhinos, low salaries for anti-poaching staff and unplanned settlement in private wildlife areas which had resulted in destruction of fencing.

"One factor seems to be that the main rhino poaching syndicate that has been active for years showed more interest in poaching rhinos last year rather than elephants, which they have also been poaching." said the director.

Tavengwa Machona, a member of this main syndicate, was recently convicted and sentenced to a record 35 years in jail for killing two rhinos in the south of the country.

Du Toit hailed the sentence and hoped this would deter would-be poachers.

"The recent casewill hopefully reverse the trend of leniency that poachers have enjoyed," he said. Enditem