Shocking revelations as slaughter of endangered species continues in Zimbabwe

By Violet Gonda

4 April 2006

A foreign journalist has made shocking revelations showing that slaughter of endangered species is continuing in Zimbabwe. Caroline Graham from the UK Mail on Sunday, who went as an undercover investigator to a safari firm owned by business tycoon Charles Davy, has revealed how lots of money was made through the cruel and barbaric treatment of endangered species. She saw first hand animals shot with bows and arrows - a cruel hunting form that has been discarded by many countries.

The journalist said she was also shocked at the brutal treatment of desperate black workers. Davy, who is tightly connected to members of the Mugabe regime, is father of Chelsy, girlfriend of Britain's Prince Harry.

The journalist observed that the local population is in dire straits and people are literally starving. She said a lot of black Zimbabweans are working as trackers for the safari operators to feed their families. She added; “They call the locals African short hair pointers and other phrases too offensive to even recount to you.”

The undercover reporter was assigned to a professional hunter when she arrived at HHK Safari, the firm owned by Charles Davy near Hwange National Park. It's reported that black workers were referred to as "k****rs", "disgusting" and "HIV positive", and were forced to drink dirty river water. The hunter assigned to her allegedly said; “We lose trackers to AIDS but it doesn’t matter there is always another one to take their place.”

Graham described at length how workers are treated appallingly. “We were in a Toyota land cruiser in blazing sunshine. It was 90º. We were in an air conditioned cabin of the land cruiser and three trackers were on the back. And we were given iced water and refreshments and sandwiches. They were drinking river water.”

The actual hunting itself is reported to be pretty barbaric. Graham said the most distressing thing for her was that in her group one of the hunters wanted to shoot a Zebra with a bow and arrow. This is a system that many countries do not allow anymore.

She said; “And so of course he shot this poor Zebra on an airfield while it was grazing in a herd. And this animal was wounded and he ran away. We never found the animal. And that night the hunter said I really wanted to mount a zebra on my wall. And the guy that runs the camp said if you pay another US$600 you can come back and shoot another one. Which he did!”

Charles Davy is said to have made his money by controlling the hunting concessions – the big money earner. It’s reported that rich Americans will pay between US$15 000 to US$20 000 to go to Zimbabwe to shoot animals they cannot shoot in their own country.

When asked if Davy himself was directly involved the journalists said; “What I was told is that because of the Harry/Chelsea controversy he is now trying to distance himself from HHK although I was told he is going to be very much involved with it for the next 3 years.”

Government officials who are supposed to be protecting the quota on animals are said to be just as bad as the poachers and have little regard of the rules. Someone like Charles Davy is also able to avoid hunting restrictions because of his tight links with senior government officials like minister Webster Shamu.

She also said although some of the white commercial farmers have been victims of Mugabe’s vicious farm invasions a lot of the honourable white farmers have left.

Graham said corruption goes so high up to Mugabe’s government and the international community will have to bring down stricter regulations. She added; “What I saw with my own eyes down there was absolutely barbaric and very sad for the long term future of Zimbabwe.”