3-Nov-09 10:00 AM CST

Quarter of Zimbabwe's Rhinos Killed by Poachers

HARARE (Reuters) - Zimbabwe has lost about 200 rhinoceroses -- a quarter of its total population -- to rampant poaching over the last three years as security and the economy deteriorated, state media reported on Tuesday.

The southern African country has been badly damaged by an economic crisis, which critics blame on President Robert Mugabe's seizure of white-owned farms, including wildlife farms, to resettle landless blacks.

The director of the National Parks and Wildlife Authority, Morris Mutsambiwa, told a parliamentary committee that 86 poachers linked to international smuggling syndicates had been arrested this year alone.

"We have lost close to 200 rhinos in the last two to three years," Mutsambiwa was quoted saying by the Herald newspaper.

"From the intelligence we are gathering, we strongly believe that there are syndicates which operate in the region, involving locals."

Estimates put Zimbabwe's black and white rhino population at about 500 and 300, respectively.

Mutsambiwa said poachers were mainly targeting the low-lying south-eastern part of Zimbabwe and the Zambezi valley to the north. Asia seemed to be the main destination for the illicit rhino horns.

Mutsambiwa said the wildlife authority was unable to provide adequate security, hence the rise in poaching cases.

"We haven't been able to generate enough revenue for rhino protection. KwaZulu-Natal (in South Africa) spends $3,000 per square metre, while we spend less than $10," he said.

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