Blue Sky Rescue (BSR) volunteers discover the skull of an elephant with its tusks removed during a patrol mission at the Mana Pools park. (Photo: Courtesy of BSR)
Their opponents were experienced poachers equipped with advanced equipment.
An unnamed worker from the Wildlife Conservation Society told ifeng.com in a recent report that some poachers use machine guns, night-vision goggles, rocket launchers and even helicopters.
Some Islamist terrorist groups have even become involved in the trade due to the profits up for grabs. They make use of well-armed rebels or even force local residents to poach, said the report.
BSR member nicknamed Dengsheng (lamp cord) who is now assisting the park rangers in Mana Pool park told the Global Times that several illegal hunts have been discovered in the park in the past two weeks.
In one, nine wild dogs were poisoned with cyanide. In another incident four elephants were found dead when a poacher was discovered in the act and fled.
"We feel very anxious. Such cases happen nearly every week. The effect of the ground patrols is too limited. Air patrols are essential," said Dengsheng, 36, a PR manager of a bond club in Beijing.
Li said their trip was the first time she was so close to wild animals, and that baboons and elephants frequently visited their camps. "Another thing that made an impression on me was the high cost of medical treatment and daily necessities, such as rice and water," she said.
According to Wang, the six-month-long anti-poaching project cost as much as 1.9 million yuan ($293,400). Apart from 380,000 yuan obtained through online public donations, they collected the rest from their own pockets and their friends.
Obstacles
BSR has decided to build a permanent camp in Zimbabwe, offering technological help and facilities for volunteers to conduct sustained anti-poaching activities. The camp, located at the Mana Pools National Park, is under construction, Wang said.
"I'm not worried about funding its maintenance. I'm confident in Chinese philanthropy power," Wang said.
What does worry them is the resistance they faced from some local NGOs, he said. At the beginning, their applications to go into the parks were rejected by environmental departments who later revealed that they received complaints and protests from other wildlife conservation NGOs.
On one hand it's understandable that some NGOs are cautious about Chinese involvement in wildlife conversation due to regular reports of Chinese involvement in the illegal wildlife trade.
But on the other hand, some NGOs may have been motivated by fear that their dominant status in the area may be challenged by Chinese newcomers. "Some carry political bias and they got used to Chinese playing the role of poacher and trafficker," Wang said, adding that in Hwange park, the largest park in Zimbabwe, there are more than 100 NGOs and they compete for resources.
Due to corruption or poor management, usually less than 10 percent of charity funds truly go to the cause, said a Chinese observer who has lived in Zimbabwe for more than 20 years.
"By exaggerating the situation of poaching, the more attention and funds they [NGOs] will receive," Wang added.
Some NGOs welcome Chinese involvement. "We would support all well directed anti-poaching support from China and would encourage joint ventures with reputable local organizations," Richard Maasdorp, strategic director of the Zambezi Society, told the Global Times in an e-mail.
"Chinese involvement can be highly significant and positive, if partnerships are formed," said Maasdorp. The Zambezi Society, a non-profit organization founded in 1982, mainly conserves the wildlife and wilderness resources around the Zambezi River and its catchment area, including Mana Pools National Park.
He said they hadn't been informed about BSR's arrival, suggesting that Chinese volunteers meet with reputable local people and organizations so as to develop harmonized strategies, tactics and deployment of resources. Otherwise, it's easy to make mistakes, he said.
"One of the mistakes made by Chinese involvement in business has been to bring in skills that already exist in the country. That has led to resentment rather than working together," he said.
He added that the key obstacles facing anti-poaching work in Zimbabwe are a lack of resources, the absence of modern management practices, little systematic research and monitoring, corruption and donor support that has no relation to the needs on the ground.
Change
To facilitate their work there, Song Li, deputy president of the Chinese Federation of Zimbabwe, founded the Sino-Zim Wildlife Foundation on September 1.
