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Sights And
Sounds
Bullets flying through the air, grey smoke billowing out, sirens
blaring, flames leaping out.
These were the sites and sounds in Zambia last month. Bullets in
Livingstone as one of the two remaining rhinos in the Mosi-oa-Tunya
National Park was shot and the other injured. Smoke and flames as
Shoprite burned.
And Then There
Was One
Our Livingstone rhinos were Southern White Rhinos (Ceratotherium
simum)
and are not found naturally in Zambia. The six which we obtained
in 1993 were introduced into Zambia rather than
re-introduced. This was the first of the species
of rhino to be at
the brink of extinction. At the start of the 20th Century, there
were perhaps only 50-200 Southern White Rhino surviving but thanks
to the efforts of conservationists, researchers and concerned
individuals they were protected and have recovered to about 11,330.
They are now the most abundant kind of rhino in the world. Their
numbers are greater than all the other kinds of rhino combined.
However, poaching pressure is still intense so we can't be
complacent about their conservation.
In 1993, Zambia was entrusted with these six rhinos, and that is the
operative word - entrusted. And we have failed; not only ourselves,
but the rest of the world who were relying on us to protect these
animals. And what is worse, there is not even a statement by the
authority responsible for their safety; the authority responsible
for managing
all
of Zambia’s wildlife.
 Over
the years, the rhinos have been a great drawcard for tourists,
earning ZAWA a great deal of income, low estimates put it at tens of
thousands of Dollars every year, surely enough to employ an
adequate number of guards and to pay them salaries which will keep
them honest? Or perhaps part of the K 550,000,000 (yes, five hundred
and fifty million; in excess of $ 100,000) that was paid in
irregular payments to the ex-Director General (according to the
Post newspaper of 18 June) could have been used to protect these
rhinos.
So where were the armed guards that were supposed to be watching the
rhinos, 24/7/365? Knocked off for the day perhaps? Possibly involved
in the slaughter themselves?
Yet we hear of
plans to bring in more rhinos? Can we honestly even consider this
unless we know that they are going to be housed somewhere safe, a
place they are not going to be slaughtered for a bunch of matted
hair growing from their snouts? Thankfully, the rhino project in
North Luangwa seems to be progressing successfully, but the
authorities need to think very carefully about placing rhinos
elsewhere in Zambia.
Who Fiddled
While Shoprite Burned?
In the Great Fire of Rome, in July 64, Rome burned for 5
days and all this time Nero fiddled. In Lusaka we came pretty close
to 5 days before we could extinguish the fire at Shoprite. We did
not see any evidence of fiddling during the fire, but we did see
evidence of a Fire Brigade totally unequipped to deal with this
emergency. All they could do was move their bright red fire engines
from the front of the building to the rear and then back to the
front again.
But certainly someone fiddled. Not necessarily during the
fire. More likely prior to the fire, and they have probably been
fiddling for many years. Fiddling the funds needed to ensure that
our fire brigades are adequately equipped, adequately manned with
adequately trained personnel who are adequately prepared to fight
fires. The excuses given were a joke : there were not enough oxygen
reserves to enable them to enter the building; the fire engine was
weaker, there was no water pressure. One shudders to think
what would happen if the fire had spread to the surrounding
buildings or if we were to have a major fire. Time for the
authorities to take a good, hard look at what is going on to ensure
the safety of Zambia’s citizens.
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July
2007