SCREAMING headlines reading ‘Victory for African elephants as CITES reach decision to close domestic ivory markets worldwide’ make sad reading.
Sad because a whole continent has allowed itself to be held hostage by a people in faraway lands.
People more concerned about the animals of Africa than its people.
When organisations like the Humane Society International ‘praises’ parties at the 17th Conference of Parties (CoP) at the CITES for adopting a resolution recommending the closure of domestic elephant ivory markets and we keep silent as a people, then we have a serious problem.
The world at this moment celebrates the victory of the elephants that continue to ravage and impoverish communities.
It is sad that there are African nations who, for the desire to be patted on the back and awarded a ‘star’ by the likes of Britain and the United States, cannot do what is morally and economically right.
Extensive coverage has been made about the need to protect animals, yet little has been said about the human- wildlife conflict that exists in communities surrounding national parks estates as a result of overpopulation of animals today.
Animals have maimed people, have destroyed property and fields, they have made communities poorer.
Since time immemorial, we have controlled the animal population by culling them.
Back in the day before the coming of imperialists, there was never a time in which, as a people, we were at the mercy of animals.
Bluntly put, being at the mercy of animals is foolishness.
We suffer while people in plushy offices thousands of miles away instruct us not to lay a finger on animals killing our children.
Our forefathers and mothers killed animals for the benefit of the community, we never wantonly killed them.
And today we expect wildlife trade and hunting to benefit communities.
Why are we allowing these people, many who have never set foot on this continent, who have never been in African national parks or seen the wildlife or heard the sad tales of men, women and children who have suffered at the hands of wildlife, to dictate terms of reference.
The nursery pupil in London draws a pink elephant in a bow-tie while his or her counterpart in Africa, asked to do the same, will present a picture depicting a sad trail of destruction the same elephant brings.
Fact is that wildlife trade, sport and trophy-hunting have significantly contributed to Zimbabwe’s economy and provided revenue for people to conserve and protect the wildlife.
Our people have done well in protecting wildlife population hence the need to sell the surplus that can no longer be supported.
It is our sovereign right to dispose of our animals sustainably, to do what we feel best with them.
Presently we sit on more than 70 tonnes of ivory and have an elephant population of about 90 000 in an environment that can only support 42 000 and outsiders say we cannot do what we desire with these resources.
Already we are incurring huge storage costs for the ivory.
Perhaps the question we need to ask ourselves is why we joined CITES in the first place?
What will we lose if we pull out?
We joined in good faith believing that CITES in letter and spirit would assist us in our conservation efforts.
But it has become an albatross around our neck.
The September 24 to October 5 2016 17th CoP at the Sandton Convention Center will go down in our history as a monumental failure to deliver to the communities affected by wildlife.