…Two rangers killed on December 31
…Bodies arrive in Harare on Tuesday
…Kariba Dam area hunting ground for poachers
BODIES of the two Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority – who were “killed and dumped” in the Kariba Dam – on Tuesday arrived in Harare for post-mortem.
Sources said the two were allegedly overpowered by suspected poachers who murdered and then dumped them in Lake Kariba Dam.
The two rangers went missing on December 31, 2019 while they were conducting their daily patrol routines.
The two went missing in the Matusadona National Park near the resort town of Kariba.
Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesperson Tinashe Farawo confirmed the two missing rangers had been found.
“It is with great sadness that our two missing rangers have been found dead in Lake Kariba,” Farawo said.
“We want to thank stakeholders, sister security departments who worked tirelessely to search for our rangers,” he added.
In 2013, a suspected poacher was shot dead by Parks and Wildlife rangers, while three others escaped during a raid in the Nyaodza area of Kariba.
The two rangers who had been deployed then (2013) to carry out patrols in the area caught up with the suspects and fatally shot one of them.
Poachers have been taking advantage of the lushy forest around the Kariba Dam and nearby areas, which allows for easy poaching activities to be carried out.
Sources said poachers who invade the Kariba area are not only from Zimbabwe but nearby Zambia as well.
“We encourage combined protection efforts of the area by both the Zimbabwe and Zambian governments,” said a source who spoke to the Zim Morning Post.
The forest area around Kariba comprises of one of the country’s largest population of elephants, making it a prime target for poachers.
