By Noma Dube – Change.org
Stop Zimbabwe’s National Park from further unprofessional, unwarranted, and unethical slaughter of innocent elephants.
In the early hours of the 28th September 2024, a peaceful and well-loved elephant cow was feeding quietly with her three calves on Reynard Road in Victoria Falls town, which is situated within the Zambezi National Park, Zimbabwe, when she was shot and butchered by a Zimbabwe National Parks (ZNP) staff member. Her fellow herd members, including her calves, ran off in sheer terror.
Ukuthula, meaning Peace, as some residents knew her, together with her herd, the MerryBerrys, was a ‘resident’ of Zambezi National Park. Not only was Ukuthula well known to local human residents, but she was also a gentle, well-mannered elephant, as were her calves, and as her name suggests, she came in peace as she moved around her home territory.
Ukuthula’s mistake on the 28th September was to enter a residential property to feed on browse she could smell in there. In the process, a small section of concrete wall was broken, though exactly which elephant did this is not known. It was 03.00 am and dark.
The FACTS:
• Around 03.00 hours of the 28th September, Ukuthula, her three calves and others of the MerryBerrys’ herd, broke into a Victoria Falls resident’s garden on Reynard Road to find food. They damaged the concrete wall to gain access; however, NO HUMAN LIFE was in any danger.
• The resident concerned contacted Zimbabwe National Parks (ZNP), but long before ZNP arrived, a professional guide came to assist, and together they chased the elephants out of the garden to carry on their way.
• To quote the resident’s public statement: “Before ZNP arrived, we eventually managed to peacefully get the elephants to leave. ZNP arrived an hour later when all was sorted here”.
At this point the ‘incident’ was effectively resolved, and NO FURTHER ASSISTANCE WAS REQUIRED NOR REQUESTED.
• Over an hour later, ZNP arrived at the Reynard Road residence, where they were advised that the situation had been attended to. They departed.
• Literally, within a matter of minutes, at around 05.45 am, residents heard high-calibre rifle shots close by, and an elephant screamed.
• On immediate investigation, they found a ZNP staff member with Ukuthula’s body several hundred metres down the road, where she had been feeding on a tree. The rest of the herd were fleeing in terror.
• Shortly thereafter the ZNP’s employee began to butcher Ukuthula’s carcass in the street in full view of both Victoria Fall’s residents and passing international tourists, who were visible shocked, but still managed to record the incident in photographs, which have since been posted on social media.
• ZNP’s motto is “In Harmony with Nature”, exactly which bit of this disgraceful incident reflects this?
• When human life is indeed at risk, we can all fully appreciate ZNP taking the extreme action. Sadly, about 3 years ago, a resident asleep on the sidewalk in Mukusana High Density Suburbs was killed by an elephant that came across him in the early morning hours. ZNP subsequently killed this elephant. However, the failure to exercise good judgement in this current instance is blatantly obvious and totally unacceptable.
Notes of concern:
• Victoria Falls, the town, is situated within a National Park. Residents who live here are strongly and repeatedly encouraged by ZNP to ‘co-exist or learn to live with the wildlife in their midst and to take precautions.
• To date, no animals have been shot and butchered like this in Victoria Falls.
• The danger of using a high-calibre weapon in a residential area – even if required, should have been done outside the built-up area and in a professional manner.
• The fact that no human life was in any danger whatsoever in this case, and the fact that despite the many encounters with wildlife in Vic Falls, there have been remarkably few encounters that have cost human life.
• That Victoria Falls has at least two reputable NGOs who can assist in such situations without killing Ukuthula – so why can’t ZNP? What exactly was their mission in this brutal act carried out in full public view?
• The exposure to the public with no effort to cordon off the gruesome scene, no arrangements made to deal with the mess left behind. So in a town that depends on tourism for its income, the brutally mutilated remains of this elephant were left in broad daylight for everyone to see.
• It appeared that only one ZNP staff member was in attendance throughout. On whose orders and with what authority did he act?
• There are in fact game corridors in Victoria Falls to facilitate the movement of wildlife through the town, which is situated within a National Park.
• Ukuthula was shot in the side and was therefore clearly not charging (should that ever be a claim of ZNP).
We the undersigned are calling on Zimbabwe’s Parks and Wildlife Management Authority to:
1) Collaborate more frequently in a transparent, honest, and inclusive manner with fellow conservation organisations that are registered and active in Victoria Falls specifically to assist in such human wildlife conflict situations and to avoid any similar shameful incident in the future.
2) Practice what you are preaching to other residents, i.e. to ‘co-exist’/learn to live with the wildlife in your midst and to take precautions’, in essence, ‘to live in harmony with nature’ rather than to slaughter so swiftly and unnecessarily.
3) To realise that the wildlife of Zimbabwe is part of the rich heritage of the Zimbabwean people and, as such, needs to be treated with the respect and accountability that we demand of you as the current custodians.
