Interview with North Luangwa Conservation park ranger Simon Mubanga.
Interviewer: I’m excited you’ve joined us today. We’re here to talk about black rhino population in Zambia. Could you star by telling us a bit of history of black rhinos in Zambia??
Mr Mubanga: Absolutely. So back in 1960s Zambia’s black rhino population was the third largest in Africa. However, in 1998 Zambia’s black rhino population was declared completely extinct. This was due to poaching activities. The rhinos were hunted mainly for their horns to be sold on the black market.
Interviewer: That’s really sad to hear. From a third largest population to a full extinction.
Mr Mubanga: Indeed. Luckily the story does not end there. In 2003 an initiative was made by the government to improve population of rhinos. As a result, 5 specimens were brought in after they had made efforts to improve security to check poaching.
Interviewer: That’s nice to hear. So, what happened next?
Mr Mubanga: By 2011 there were 25 rhinos well-watched and well-guarded.. Such small populations are very fragile. And every small loss is irreplaceable. However, we have faced some challenges in the past years.
Interviewer: Can you tell me about some of these challenges?
Mr Mubanga: The biggest challenge was when we lost 6 specimens due to climate change. That year the weather was too hot and too dry. Another challenge was when we lost one of our young ones – Chilunda. We had to organize a search party and then in the process we had to even get a helicopter to bring him back.
Interviewer: And how about poaching? I hope none were killed for their horns?
Mr Mubanga: Not for their horns. But we’ve had one incident. I think somewhere at the end of March 2023 we had a diplomatic visit in the country. It was a female American politician. Her name was Kamala. She had come with her crew and they decided to take part in safari trophy hunt. You know, during this period, she had asked for a park ranger and I was privileged to accompany them. She wanted to hear stories about the local fauna and flora. So, I was the one doing that. Then… You know during these safari hunts we do a lot of hunting and this is for raising funds for conservation purposes. However, on our way we have met one of our young rhinos and this woman decided to shoot to my amazement. I mean hunting of rhinos is completely prohibited but somehow, she just decided to shoot. That very day we’ve lost one of our young ones. His name was Casuba.
Interviewer: Are you serious? That’s really awful. So how did you handle this situation?
Mr Mubanga: Well, there really wasn’t anything we could do about it. The incident was swept under the rug. When it comes to people of power, you know the story.
Interviewer: I understand what you mean. That must be very frustrating for anyone involved in preserving animals.
Mr Mubanga: Sure. We’ve learned our lessons and we’ve put a lot of effort into making sure these rhinos come nowhere close to hunting spots.
Interviewer: Thank you for your efforts, I think you’re doing a great job. Tell me how many black rhinos do you have here today?
Mr Mubanga: As of today we have 34 of them. Our main goal currently is making sure that one day we can proudly say that black rhinos are officially not an endangered species in Zambia.
Interviewer: I truly wish you a good luck with that! Thank you for your time.