‘Poaching threatening tourism’

POACHING and illegal wildlife trade is threatening Zimbabwe’s tourism industry, wildlife industry stakeholders have said.

During last week’s World Wildlife Day commemorations which ran under the theme: Partnerships for Wildlife Conservation, stakeholders from government, civil society and the private sector said the country has experienced massive economic loss due to illegal wildlife trade.

Speaking over the weekend at the Nyangambe community conservancy game scout graduation ceremony in Chiredzi, which coincided with the World Wildlife Day celebrations, United States Agency for International Development (USaid) acting mission director Ramses Gauthier said:  “Poaching and illegal wildlife trade are threatening the country’s tourism industry and the livelihoods and security of rural communities.”

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