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The Americans, it seems, will never give up on efforts to destroy Zimbabwe. After more than a decade of ruinous economic sanctions, the United States now wants to destroy the country’s wildlife sector.The US Department of Wildlife and Fisheries has banned sport-hunted elephant trophies from Zimbabwe claiming that the country’s elephant herd was under threat.

Elephant trophy hunting, a sport for the wealthy, is a major source of income for sustainable wildlife conservation projects. Both the government and communities where elephants are get significant revenues from trophy  hunting.

America provides the source market for the majority of trophy hunters and the decision by that country’s wildlife authorities is a blow to Zimbabwe’s animal conservation measures.

The irony of the US embargo is that while America claims that our elephant herd is under threat, the situation on the ground points otherwise.

The country’s national parks have exceeded their elephant carrying capacity. Other animal species are beginning to suffer due to the elephant over-population as they compete for limited water and grazing.

The United States is basing its decision on a few rogue elements who poisoned elephants in Hwange national park with cyanide, resulting in the deaths of more than 100 elephants.

While the deaths and the method used to kill the elephants were regrettable, it should be noted that the dead elephants are just a tiny fraction of the country’s total elephant herd.

The government also responded decisively to the crude hunting method and almost all people responsible for the elephant deaths have been accounted for.

It therefore appears that the decision by the Americans is an extension of the sanctions that have been in force since 2001.

While the American ban will hurt the country financially, wildlife authorities in the country need to move on.

We believe there are other markets for the country’s sport-hunted elephant trophies which can prove as lucrative as America.

Players in the tourism industry need to market the country’s wildlife products to new markets. We note that the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, which is stuck with 70 tonnes of ivory, which it cannot sell because of a ban by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in Flora and Fauna, is already exploring new revenue streams such as selling live elephants.

Countries which have expressed interest in the live elephants include China, France and the United Arab emirates. If the deal goes through, more than $3 million can be raised.

Zimbabwe has been one of the success stories in the preservation of endangered animal species and we believe instead of being punished, the country should be commended and given support to further protect its wildlife heritage.

According to ZimParks, the country can simply withdraw from CITES and become free to sell its stocks of elephant tusks and rhino horns but obviously this is a short-term solution that will not do good to animal conservation in the long term.

One thing the Americans need to realise is that its actions have the potential of destroying the very wildlife it purports to be wanting to protect.