Zimbabwe Parks Authority Embarks on Animal Census

The Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (PWMA) has embarked on a programme to establish the population of animal species in the country by having the information from stakeholders in the hunting industry.

The Parks Authority public relations manager, Retired Major Edward Mbewe said stakeholders from the hunting industry would meet in various provinces this week to provide information on aspects of wildlife.

"The stakeholders in the industry will be attending workshops to establish the game quota setting and how the wildlife is conserved," said Rtd Major Mbewe.

The figures he said would help the authority to come up with details of showing if the wildlife population is decreasing or increasing which will help them to come up with better conservation methods.

"There has to be total population of all the animals in the country and their distribution trends and we also intend to set quotas for next year during these workshops.

He also said that the whole exercise would enable them to establish the number of animals in the private game reserves.

The exercise, he said, would also help the authority to come up with strategies that promote organised hunting but prevent over-hunting and poaching.

PWMA released hunting quotas for the 2008-hunting season in January, which in Zimbabwe begins on 1 May and ends on 31 October.

This year's hunting quotas were being issued according to an operator's hunting success rate as well as the animal population in the respective hunting areas.

It is discouraged to hunt in the period between November and March as this is the same period when animals would be dropping their young ones, while January is reserved for marketing the hunting quotas.

Source: The Herald (Harare)