THE Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority
(Zimparks) is soon expected to take delivery of okapi and gorilla breeds in a
wildlife exchange programme with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after
President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government recently donated 10 white rhinos to
DRC’s national parks.
Zimparks director-general Fulton Upenyu Mangwanya told
Southern Eye during a visit to Hwange National Park on Saturday that the
exchange programme would benefit both countries’ animal conservation
programmes.
“Right now, we are having arrangements with DRC because we
have some animals we want from them and they are willing to give us, but we are
doing our homework first, because you can’t really take a chimpanzee or gorilla
from there before you make plans,” he said.
“Just like they did when they wanted to introduce rhinos,
they made serious investment plans and we are also going to do the same. They
also have an animal called okapi which resembles half-zebra and half-giraffe
and we also need it here. These are sensitive animals, but want to make
scientific research and find if it can actually live well here without any
problems of habitat changes. We are in talks with our counterparts so that they
donate small numbers to start with and increase if they do well. DRC has always
been a friend of us and we have done a lot for them and there is no reason for
one to make an issue out of these rhinos because they also give us what we
want,” Mangwanya said.
He said they had identified Nyanga in Manicaland province
as a possible habitat for the gorillas.
Asked about fears of ebola transmission from the gorillas,
Mangwanya said: “Don’t worry about the issue of ebola because we will test them
before they come here.”
DRC’s rhinos were wiped out during the country’s civil wars
which saw an upsurge in poaching and now the situation, according to Mangwanya,
was conducive for restocking.
He warned critics against meddling in the country’s
conservation efforts, adding that those with queries should approach Zimparks
before taking their opinions to the Press.
Conservationists argue that translocation of animals was
cruel as some would fail to adapt to the new environment and suffer from
depression after being separated from their natural habitat. Newsday
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