Spike in wildlife poaching alarms Victoria Falls conservationists

The Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit (VFAPU) has raised the alarm over a surge in wildlife poaching, with at least seven animals killed in April alone, including three buffaloes, one kudu, and three hornbills. In the same period, two elephants died after being struck by a freight train, further adding to the grim toll.

The worrying developments come on the heels of March's shocking discovery of a decapitated lioness, a case that continues to haunt conservationists and rangers alike.

In its latest poaching update, VFAPU said its team, working closely with the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority (Zimparks) and the Wild Horizons Anti-Poaching Unit, has managed to arrest seven individuals linked to various poaching incidents in and around the Victoria Falls area.

"In the same week as the lion killing, we reacted to an incursion along the boundary of Zambezi National Park," VFAPU revealed. "Poachers had entered and killed three buffalo. Fourteen suspects fled into the bush, abandoning sacks of meat and wire snares. Follow-up investigations led to the arrest and conviction of two individuals. Others remain at large."

The deaths of two elephants, struck by a goods train along the Victoria Falls-Hwange railway line, further saddened the unit. Shortly thereafter, rangers discovered a young kudu's remains stuffed in a sack - a suspected poaching case, though no crime scene was located.

VFAPU described the spate of deaths as demoralising but said their perseverance has yielded results.

"We arrested an individual responsible for the death of three hornbill chicks after he felled a tree containing their nest," VFAPU said. "Through our informer network, we also intervened in a waterbuck poaching incident, arresting five suspects."

In a major breakthrough, the unit confirmed the capture of a notorious poacher, believed to be responsible for numerous wildlife deaths and strongly suspected in the March lioness killing. The suspect was apprehended by the Wild Horizons Anti-Poaching Unit while poaching on their concession and has since been convicted and sentenced to 12 months in prison.

VFAPU said snare poaching continues to pose the greatest threat to wildlife in the Victoria Falls region. While many poachers are impoverished locals seeking bushmeat for survival, the rise in commercial-scale poaching has worsened the crisis. Large-scale operations now use multiple snares to capture animals for illegal meat sales - an illicit market fueled by the high cost of beef and other legal alternatives.

"The poachers sell bushmeat in bulk, often at prices far lower than licensed outlets, making it an attractive but dangerous trade," VFAPU warned.

Despite the grim realities, the unit vowed to continue its tireless efforts in protecting the region's precious wildlife, calling for greater community awareness, stiffer penalties, and support for conservation enforcement.