11/11/2012
What a pity that when someone is entrusted to do some work he/she takes advantage in abusing that trust for personal interests. We are hereby referring to WEZ (Wildlife and Environment Zimbabwe) Members that have been misinformed in regards to the elephants issue by minority individuals who seem to have hidden agendas in this regard following their sudden questionable speedy moves in wanting the elephants to be moved away from cecilkop Mutare based on an illegal permit.
Take it this way that someone has been a problem and has been behaving badly for one reason or another but somehow through rehabilitation one suddenly changes from the bad behavior to a better person, asked to comment or deal with such a person what will be your response?
This question comes following the elephants fate due to alleged bad behavior. As some of you may be aware that the two elephants within the Cecil Kop Game Park have been problematic animals especially from 2006 to beginning 2012 when they roamed around people’s residential areas. This is now water under the bridge with majority of the residents who live near the game park appreciating that for the past 2 months there have been some rest. These residents living around the game park through a door to door visit by WEZ Committee members have acknowledged noticing behavior change in the animals as comments like, “we have not seen these animals for the past 3, 4 weeks to more than a month” now we can afford to sleep with the fencing erected past my home, thank you for fencing because the elephants are not coming anymore” have been made.
The truth is once seen as problematic animals due to mismanagement of the past WEZ Committee (6-7 years) is now a different situation following the fence repairs that are being done by sincerely dedicated and passionate members who have managed to seek donations to the tune of $15 000 worth of fencing materials and are volunteering their time and energy in this. Currently fencing is in progress and we have managed to repair approximately 10km from the main gate to Nutt Hill point, with intention to do the whole park as we aim to keep the animals and equally protect human lives.
May I bring to your attention that the current WEZ Committee has faced a lot of challenges that include, resuming power from the previous committee among others and now the elephant issue is yet another in house fight that has led to division among committee members with some members even resigning. WEZ is prepared for unity even if as individuals we disagreed to agree on different issues. This however is being opposed by some individual people who seem to follow their own interest like we said before on the expense of the majority proved by their working with outsiders in capturing the elephants to Umfurudzi Game Park, different destination from what the invalid permit authorities are holding to. Imagine the capture team camping within the park for the past 6 days preparing for the capture without communicating with the responsible authority, in this case WEZ that paid for these animals.
WEZ has now reached a point where we are fighting tooth and nail to serve these animals from being moved so as to benefit our community and our visitors who have always enjoyed seeing these elephants at close range within a park set up. Remember these animals know no other home but Cecil Kop for the past 25 years. Why should we lose them now for nothing yet we NOW have the capacity to contain them within the park, yet being ignored by some? If this minority group for the translocation would like to be honest, which they are not anyway because of the $6 000 cash donation that they had received for translocation of the ellys, they would agree that the elephants are not a problem anymore. The fight for these elephants is in the element of the interest of Mutare people who would benefit both as centre of attraction for our youths who are the owners of this game park as quoted in WEZ constitution and source of funding for those who would want to assist in donating to Mutare. Thanks you for your time in reading this and yes lets fight for the stay of these elephants visa a via sustainable development in Manicaland. Like the page and serve the elephants from being moved.
