Hidden killers of Zimbabwe game

A DEADLY strip of thick bush stretching some 58 km along the Mozambique border is slowly killing off many unwitting wild animals which stray across it.

For in the area are literally hundreds of anti-personnel mines and booby-traps laid at the end of 1977 to prevent incursions.
From the air heaps of sun-bleached bones can be seen dotted around in the dense bush. On the ground “the place stinks of death, wreaks of rotting flesh”, says Mr Mike Bromwich, now based at Matetsi but previously warden of the Mabalauta section of the Gona-re-zhou National Park in the southeast of Zimbabwe.

BLASTED
During the past two years about 100 animals “have been found dead or wounded in the park after stepping on mines or being blasted by booby traps.

“If we have found 100, then goodness knows how many have been killed or injured on the other side of the fence,” he said.
When an animal such as an elephant stands on a mine it is seldom killed outright—a foot or chunk of flesh is blown out and becomes gangrenous and the animal dies after several weeks of suffering.

In 1978 one elephant stood on 13 AP mines and was still alive when National Parks found it and put it out of its misery.
Another bull which entered the field was found 120 km away near Chipinga Pools—badly injured but still alive.

VARIES
The minefield runs from Magumi Pan near the Maputo railway line to the Limpopo, and varies from 200m to 3km in width.

Where the Gona-re-zhou National Park’s boundary ends, there is a corridor which is supposed to be clear of game. However, the boundary fence has been broken in several places enabling animals to wander freely up to the minefield’s double fence.

These two fences are constantly being broken although maintenance is done frequently.

Another minefield, running parallel to the first one, was laid in October 1978 as the war intensified.

“Both minefields were set up in the interest of national security and we are not blaming anyone. We are now trying to do something about clearing it and making it safe for both humans and game,” said Mr Bromwich.

About 80 percent of the mines and traps could be cleared if army engineers went into the area, but the task seems almost impossible.

Although the fields were designed on a set pattern, the mines will have moved from washing by downpours.

BEST METHOD
“The bush is so dense and so well booby-trapped that by moving through they would be taking their lives in their hands.
“The best method would be to build a very strong game fence around the entire area, but this would cost us about $70,000. We just haven’t the funds.

“Tribesmen previously living in the protected villages have tried to get back into the areas which are home to them, but cannot.
“As long as the mine- field exists in this state tourists are in danger. Any wounded animal becomes crazy with pain and could attack anything it sees, such as a tourist’s car, without being provoked.

“If we had enough money we would be more than willing to establish this fence,” he said.

The Gona-re-zhou area holds some of the country’s biggest tuskers which are great attractions for tourists. Many have tusks each weighing 54 kg.

“Unfortunately, these are the elephants which are wandering into the minefields. Practically all the elephants found have been bulls as they wander much more than do the cows.”

About 20 pairs of tusks have been stolen from the mineflelds during the past two years.

Many carcasses have been found on water courses or in dams. The most recent casualty, a buffalo, was found last Sunday half submerged in a pan. It had died from shrapnel wounds.

They usually head towards water to ease the burning pain. Some knock themselves to death against trees.

	See the article as it appeared in the paper (242kB)