By Tatenda Gapa

LONG hailed as one of the world’ marvels, Zimbabwe’s wildlife has attracted tourists from all over the world interested in seeing creatures and beasts, big and small, in their natural habitat.
Destruction and extinction of some wildlife species elsewhere in the world has seen the country becoming not only a favourite destination for tourists, but scientists as well.
The now world famous Cecil the lion killed by American dentist Walter James Palmer was being studied by the University of Oxford.
Beyond doubt, among the most spectacular wonders of the country is its wildlife.
The country is home to several species of animals that have thrilled many a visitor.
People from around the world visit the country as it offers what tourists have described as slices of wilderness that touch hearts and souls
Lions, elephants, buffaloes through to equally fascinating dung beetles have captured the imagination of, and wowed, visitors.
Many of the visitors are not first-timers, they are people who have been on safari visits before and they keep coming back for more as they say it is a life-changing experience.
The country’s wildlife has significantly contributed to the growth of tourism.
Unlike the caged animals in the West, Zimbabwe and other African countries present an opportunity for visitors to view the animals in their grandeur.
Visitors can witness lions and buffalo take each other on in epic battles and some are fortunate enough to experience the battle from the initial stalking to the final kill and pride feeding.
This is the thrill that sees thousands of visitors landing in Zimbabwe every year.
“Here where I marvelled at the migration of clouds of brown-veined white butterflies en route to East Africa, I watched a leopard flick its tail on a branch above my head, saw a baby elephant swim beside its mother across the waters from Zimbabwe, and held my breath as a prehistoric-looking crocodile slithered off its sandbank into the murky waters beneath my canoe,” wrote Lisa Grainger about her experiences.
“If, like me, you are a big-cat junkie, there is only one place to go (Africa),” also said Brian Jackman.
“Here in one day you can photograph a leopard up a tree, look into the amber eyes of a cheetah and come face to face with a whole pride of lions.”
Thus the wildlife in the country is a huge treasure trove that must be protected.
“At night,” wrote Lucia van der Post, “you get your thrills when you hear the roar of the black-maned lion and the howl of the brown hyena, while up in the sky the stars are brighter and more extravagant than anywhere in Europe.” 
Without doubt the increasing cases of poaching will do the country harm as poachers are destroying a major draw-card.
In a decade or so, will the country still have its pristine and varied wildlife if poaching continues unabated?
The latest techniques of using chemicals to kill animals will, according to ecologist Rickson Chanetsa, decimate the animal population to extinction.
“There are no better methods of poaching for it is simply an evil, but the use of poisons is far much worse because while the intention might be to kill one or two elephants, the end result is that many other animals will die,” said Chanetsa.
“It is common knowledge that when an animal dies, especially the size of an elephant, there is a ‘feast’ in the animal kingdom and if this animal dies of poisoning, then every animal that partakes in it dies.
“This is a method of poaching being done by people interested in making a quick dollar without regard to the future of wildlife in the country.
“And not only does the country stand to lose forever this precious natural resource, but communities will also suffer.”
Communities in areas that teem with wildlife are engaged in community-based or participatory natural resources management programmes that have somewhat improved their livelihoods.
Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) spokesperson Sugar Changonda said the country has at least seven wonders which must be preserved for the benefit of the nation.
“Wildlife is one of the wonders which significantly support tourism in the country,” he said.
“Therefore we don’t condone any incidents of poaching by any means.
“Vehicles have been commissioned to the Ministries of Tourism, Environment and the National Parks for patrol as a measure to curb poaching.
“Everyone has a role to play in ensuring that no damage is done to the ecosystem in our parks and reserves.”
The tourism sector has been described as a low hanging fruit that can massively boost and accelerate efforts to revamp an economy still recovering from more than a decade of battering by the illegal sanctions imposed on the country by US and its allies.