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Transcript/Script((PLAYBOOK SLUG: ZIMBABWE ELEPHANT POPULATION TV
HEADLINE: Some African Countries Want Ban on Elephant Ivory Reconsidered
TEASER:
PUBLISHED AT: Monday, 05/30/2022 at 07:09 EDT
BYLINE: Columbus Mavhunga
CONTRIBUTOR:
DATELINE: HWANGE, ZIMBABWE
VIDEOGRAPHER: Blessing Chigwenhembe
VIDEO EDITOR: Blessing Chigwenhembe
PRODUCER: Jason Godman
SCRIPT EDITORS: DLJ, Jepsen, MAS
VIDEO SOURCE: VOA Original,
PLATFORMS: WEB _ TV _X RADIO X
TRT: 3:11
VID APPROVED BY: pcd
TYPE: TVPKG
EDITOR NOTES:))
((INTRO))
[[Some African countries with elephant populations say they want to lift an international ban on ivory trading and culling elephant herds. Representatives meeting at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species in Zimbabwe in late May said elephant overpopulation is harming communities. Columbus Mavhunga has more from outside Hwange, Zimbabwe's largest national park.]]
((VIDEO-VOA: Wide shot of conference attendees, closeup of speaker, closeup of attendee, wide shots of Elephants in the National Park, close up of elephants in national park, shot of elephants at the watering hole))
((NARRATOR))
Some 14 African countries say they want communities with elephant populations to benefit from them. So, they issued a communique after a four-day conference in May asking for a ban to be lifted on ivory trading and elephant culling.
The group plans to take that message to Panama in November for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species or CITES, an agreement between governments to ensure that wild animal and plant species are protected.
((Nqobizitha Mangaliso Ndlovu, Zimbabwe Wildlife Minister)) ((Eng: 22 sec))
“Mainly to say as African states we hold the significant population of our elephants. It is therefore important that the ideas, the proposals that we are proffering at CITES need be taken seriously, key among them issues of our wildlife products.”
((VIDEO-VOA: Wide shot of Sithembiso with elephant carcass, close up shot of Sithembiso with elephant carcass, tight shot of elephant carcass head, wide shot of Sithembiso in her field with elephant carcass))
((NARRATOR))
Zimbabwe says its national parks are home to nearly 100,000 elephants – double the number parks can comfortably accommodate.
Government officials say as a result, the animals are moving out of the parks and destroying the crops of nearby communities.
This 59-year-old widow lives just outside Hwange National Park.
((Sithembiso Mampofu Sibanda: Zimbabwean Affected By Elephants)) ((Shona: 23 seconds - Ndebele version available))
“They are troubling us, invading our fields, invading our homes. We can no longer farm in our fields because of the elephants. So we are asking for the relevant authorities to erect a fence so that the elephants cannot cross to this side.”
((VIDEO-VOA: Wide shot of elephants, close up shot of elephants))
((NARRATOR))
But some African countries – like South Africa which is home to 45,000 elephants - are against lifting the ban. Officials there say South Africa uses birth control to manage the population and boundary fences on national parks to reduce human-wildlife conflict.
((Sam Ferreira, South Africa National Parks Ecologist)) ((Eng. 17 seconds))
“One of the difficulties is people trying to think that the African manager of wildlife has got only one solution, in fact they don’t, they go through some very serious thinking about what can l do before they get to the really hard difficult ones, now l have to permanently remove an animal.”
((VIDEO-VOA: Wide shot of Elephant conference presentations, wide shot of delegates at Elephant conference, close up of Elephant conference))
((NARRATOR))
The European Union opposes lifting the ban on elephant ivory trading and questions the data Zimbabwe used to estimate of its elephant population.
((Timo Olkkonen, EU Ambassador to Zimbabwe)) ((Eng. 20 seconds))
“l think you know my understanding is that there is information required about carrying capacities and so forth. So, l think there is probably work to be done.”
((VIDEO-VOA: Wide shot of Sithembiso in her field, tight shot of elephant bone, close up shot of Sithembiso in her field))
((NARRATOR))
Zimbabwe accuses the European Union and other Western countries of influencing CITES to keep the ban on trading ivory, which was implemented to protect dwindling numbers of elephant species from poachers.
The ban has encouraged the growth of elephant populations but is also causing problems for people like Sibanda.
((Columbus Mavhunga, for VOA News, Hwange, Zimbabwe))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)HWANGE, ZIMBABWE
BylineColumbus Mavhunga
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
