Hwange National Park is Zimbabwe's largest national park. It boasts large herds of elephants, buffalo, and plains game. The park also has several carnivores, including lions, leopards, cheetahs, and even caracals! An estimated 200 African painted dogs also call Hwange National Park home.
A national park- a haven for wildlife. On October 22nd, 2024 the very opposite came to light in the park…
According to research lions are the most sought-after species by safari goers- imagine the rush of excitement a group of tourists felt when they came across three lionesses on a zebra carcass within Hwange National Park recently!
Above- the three lionesses on their zebra kill -hours before horror struck
Now imagine the horror of finding the same three lionesses the following day- poached and mutilated, their heads and paws severed from their bodies- this gruesome experience was a reality for safari goers last week within Hwange National Park.
Worldwide Vets recently interviewed Mr Terry Anders regarding this incident, anti-poaching efforts within the park, and of course conservation.
Together with his wife Sheona, Terry co-owns Iganyana Tented Camp just outside Hwange National Park. They also operate a private tented bush camp in the heart of the National Park itself. Terry himself has worked in and around the park at several camps as a professional guide, an assistant, and a camp manager for the past 23 years.
The Incident Itself
Terry recounts the horrific incident below:
“A week ago yesterday (21st of October) we found 3 lionesses at Dom Pan, just 7kms into the National Park from the Main Camp -(tourist reception and check-in area). I had been informed by some of our fellow guides that these lionesses had taken down a zebra there the day before. We watched until around 6pmish in beautiful light - they were taking turns chasing the vultures off the zebra carcass. It was a lovely sighting.
My two American guests and I returned to camp that evening rather pleased and excited about the events and advised numerous guests and camp guides of the sighting and advised that they get there early to see this incredible scene. Sad to say they were the first on the scene the next morning only to find those 3 beautiful lionesses beheaded and having had their paws chopped off. It was a horrific, tragic, and tormenting scene!”
According to the Lion Recovery Fund, "There is a growing threat to lions in certain parts of Africa from the targeted poaching of lions for their body parts, such as skins, claws, teeth, and bones. The drivers of such poaching and trade are currently poorly understood; however, there is a clear and growing Asian market for these products”.
The unusual manner in which the carcasses were found- with their heads and paws severed from their body- stood out and local Zimbabweans were infuriated by this as it made the incident all the more horrific. Terry confirms that this is indeed very unusual stating, “I can only imagine someone was looking for lion head and paws and willing to pay a price for them so they were willing to take such a huge risk in supplying them. As far as I know, we have never had such a killing of this kind in Hwange. But I stand to be corrected" He added, "The last few years there has been some belief in a demand of lion bones and teeth and claws as some kind of aphrodisiac or healing power of some sort from certain countries who believe in such atrocities. In most cases just like rhino horn etc there is no scientific evidence of any medical/medical values whatsoever - it’s purely keratin - nail fiber for example”.
Anti-poaching within Hwange
According to several organisations Zimbabwe as a whole has seen a decrease in poaching over the past several years. However, poaching remains an ongoing concern. Terry believes “poverty, desperation, and lack of food resources are the primary roots of poaching”. Of course, this incident is different and Terry states that “the kind of poaching in this incident is greed and that temptation to make a quick chunk of money albeit a high risk. Sadly, while there is that demand out there there will always be that temptation”.
Terry believes, "Poaching has definitely decreased due to the combined efforts of National parks and the multiple organizations getting more involved and the presence of more and more guests maintaining a presence”. For anyone who has not visited Hwange themselves, the park is 14,600 square kilometers- which is a huge area to protect! As Terry so adequately puts it, “It's the size of a small country. There is significant support and effort put through by National Parks and the other organizations set up for this but it's difficult to cover such a large area and having personally run anti-poaching operations in other areas much smaller than this I believe the park could do with more support. This recent incident is proof of that”.
Effects of Poaching on Tourism and Vice-versa
Incidents as horrific as this often have a ripple effect in the grand scheme of things- of course, the loss of wildlife is a direct effect but other factors such as the effect on the predator-to-prey ratios within the park, and even possible decrease in tourism because of negative press need to be taken into account. Safari goers generate revenue to sustain National Parks' conservation, and anti-poaching efforts, and of course help the local communities- some of whom are employed within the safari camps.
We asked Terry how the incident has affected those who work in close proximity to these animals every day- e.g. tour operators, guides, national parks officials. He has responded "There is no doubt that this can have a negative effect on tourism and I have heard of a few cancellations already for next year. But this is why I was willing to do this interview/ article - it's extremely important to get the information out to the world that these incidents are very unusual but if everyone cancels and stops coming to Hwange it's going to make the situation far worse. Turning our backs on the problem only makes the area more vulnerable. We need to be proactive and take it on face first - encourage more folks to come out and see the wonders of Hwange and maintain that presence to make it much harder for anyone to get away with what has happened here. We must not let them get away with it. In fact, it has been quite impressive how the safari industry has come together and is looking for ways to help and deter anything like this from happening again”
It should be noted that a National Parks Ranger has since been arrested for this horrific crime- within a week of the incident occurring. This is a testament to the coming together of the safari industry and the National Park's swift action.
“Time to stand up for what we believe in and what we are passionate about. There are so many avid nature and wildlife supporters out there. Speak out and spread the word about Hwange - get people to visit and experience this amazing place and its awesome herds of elephants and of course lions and many other species. But without you all coming out on safari we safari operators and this industry as a whole cannot afford or justify protecting this park and all its inhabitants. Like it or not it's a business and it has to make economic sense at the end of the day.”
Moving Forward
Following the incident we asked Terry how he believed a difference could be made.
“It's up to us like-minded folks to educate people out there that wildlife is not an infinite resource. It can be to some degree but it takes a lot of time management and planning which all require finance, unfortunately. The fact is we have the expertise and will to really make a difference in this country. We have some great organisations like ZPGA (Zimbabwe Professional Guides Association) and their chairman John Laing and his team stepping up to the plate to work with National Parks to improve our structures and systems in the professional guiding and tourism industry”.
“Ultimately we need to promote and grow tourism through education and expansion. We at Forever African Safaris and Iganyana are really pushing programs like TMG - Turning Matabeleland Green and 100 fold gardens etc that will help mitigate human-wildlife conflict. We need wildlife to be a benefit to our communities and not have a negative destructive effect. TMG is about training folks on the best most effective and efficient farming methods for their particular areas. It’s really exciting and we are looking forward to the next steps of educating and implementation”
We at Worldwide Vets firmly believe that change can be sparked through education and awareness. This incident, while horrific can hopefully help to call others to the fight for our wildlife!
A huge thank you to Terry Anders of Iganyana Tented Camp for agreeing to this interview as well as for the footage and photographs.
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