Victoria Falls — ZIMBABWE has projected revenue from safari hunting to increase significantly this year following the ban on wildlife hunting in neighbouring Botswana and Zambia.
Hwange-Gwayi-Dete Conservancy Chairman, Langton Masunda, said the country was expecting revenue from the sector to top $60 million up from $45 million last year.
The forecasts are anchored on spill over business from the two neighbouring countries.
Botswana and Zambia have banned hunting to replenish dwindling numbers of wildlife in the two countries.
“We are expecting a 30 percent more in revenue than in the previous hunting season because of the spill overs from the Botswana ban,” Masunda said.
The conservancy is located in Matabeleland South, the heart of wildlife hunting and conservancy which is home to the Hwange National Park, the biggest wildlife animal sanctuary in the country.
It is home to the Big Five including the lion, elephant, buffalo, leopard and lion.
At the moment, he said hunting was concentrated on big animals like elephants because of easy visibility since small prey was less visible because of the thick vegetation.
Meanwhile, the Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe President, Emmanuel Fundira, nonetheless warned the country might miss its revenue targets if Government did not resolve an impasse in the Save Conservancy.
One of the biggest conservancies in the country, it is at the centre of ownership wrangle between local people and foreigners operating in the area.
The locals want to be parceled pieces of land in the area under the indigenisation policy drive.
“The impasse also resulted in safari business missing last year’s projected targets of $60 million,” said Fundira.
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