By Sifelani Tsiko*

Zimbabwe has announced it will introduce green hunting this year in a bid to attract new investment and tourist numbers in its struggling tourism sector.

This follows the formation of a power sharing government a few months ago after a long period of political instability.

Green hunting is a growing concept that allows hunters a chance to enjoy their sport while contributing to conservation and management of wildlife. But environment and natural resources minister Francis Nhema said it will be on an experimental basis.

“We are doing it because it is on offer internationally but we need to establish certain facts through this experiment. There are questions need to be answered through this experiment before we can proceed go full scale on it,” he said.

Although Zimbabwe has many animals placed on the consumptive hunting quota, there was need to experiment with the new concept to explore the potential benefits of green hunting that offers a unique synergy between sport hunting and conservation, added the minister.

Proponents of this concept describe green hunting - or dart safaris - as an encouraging development that offers a unique synergy between sport hunting and conservation. Green hunting allows trophy wildlife to be shot and wildlife research and management to be conducted at the same time.

It was pioneered in South Africa and is the brainchild of Dr Paul Bartels, head of the Wildlife Biological Resource Center of the National Zoological Gardens. It is now widely in use in Europe, parts of the US and in South Africa.

Conservationists say green hunting requires more skill and precision than hunting with a rifle. Not only must the animal be shot from close range, but darted animals are also highly unpredictable - sometimes charging or bolting.

Zimbabwe needs the dollars from the hunters to finance wildlife management and conservation but it remains to be seen whether the die-hard hunters will buy into this green concept.

The practicalities of green hunting have not been studied extensively but most conservationists see it as a unique opportunity to balance the needs and ego of traditionalist hunters and the demands to conserve animal populations especially now when there is growing pressure to fight poaching and to preserve the remaining game numbers.

However, it remains a controversial subject that requires more debate and concrete examples that show the profitable and rewarding experience of green hunting as well as the impact on the welfare of animals.

Animal experts say green hunting requires careful planning before each dart safari, taking note of the species, terrain and time of year. They say it must be done early in the morning when it is cooler for animals.

Critics charge that this “Catch-and-release’ hunting is merely replacing a high-powered rifle with a tranquilizer dart gun which can have serious implications on the health of animals when repeated on the same animals especially now when some animal species have been wiped out in most parts of the world.

“With so much attention on canned hunting, it is not surprising that “green” hunting may seem like a viable and responsible alternative. Not surprising either that media and public attention haven’t been on green hunting when the spotlight is well and truly on the dreadful, despicable and unethical practice of canned hunting,” said the International Animal Welfare Education.

The Game Rangers Association of Africa warns that: “The effect of repeated tranquilizing on any animal is unknown in that the levels of trauma and effect on social behavior cannot be effectively measured.

The possibility of the animal killing or injuring itself during the period in which the drugs are taking effect are real as the animal cannot effectively be moved away from danger.

However, proponents say a battery of measures and a strict code of green hunting addresses some of the fears and concerns from animal lovers. For example, darting must be done early in the morning when its cooler for animals and that it must not be repeated on the same animal at least for a year.

*Sifelani Tsiko is a staff writer at Zimbabwe Herald where this article was first published. This is an abridged version of the original article.

Image credit: Mara1/ Flickr