ZIMBABWE Parks and Wildlife Authority (Zimparks) has warned restaurants serving game meat to adhere to the country’s laws to avoid falling into poaching scandals.
Game meat is popular in some restaurants mostly in resort areas. However, because of stringent laws and regulations a restaurant that has constant supply of game meat naturally falls under the radar of Zimparks investigations.
“Game meat, due to control measures to preserve wildlife, cannot be efficiently supplied, it is seasonal and limited,” said Zimparks public relations manager Tinashe Farawu.
He added that if restaurants find themselves under pressure to deliver they tend to dupe clients.
“They are most likely to serve beef and goat meat in pretence that it’s game,” he added.
B-Metro understands that game delicacies such as warthog, zebra, crocodile and the buffalo are hard to get in most restaurant menus.
It’s even made worse by that trophy hunters only leave with animal skins and the meat remains with Zimparks.
“Hunters come in and are only permitted to leave with animal skin. The meat is left behind for the locals and parks workers. Hence a hunter cannot be sufficiently supplying game meat; the only other option is they will be perhaps poaching,” said the chairman of the hunting syndicates in Hwange area Evson Ndebele.
The hunting season in the area is between November and March as animals will be breeding and also because of the rainy season roads are not accessible. Therefore, during this period game meat becomes even more difficult to access.
One of the leading game meat restaurants Three Monkeys which has one of the directors, Martin Pieters controlling a game concession refused to comment.
