Another Fine Example of Conservation through Sustainable and Ethical Hunting

Spreading the word about how poaching is damaging to wildlife conservation is an important topic. This article contains content about commercial poaching and displays pictures that some viewers may find disturbing or offensive. If you are under the age of 18, if such material offends you or if it is illegal to view such material in your community please do not read this article. Please use discretion.

Prior to 2002, Coutada 9, like all other wilderness areas in Mozambique, had been through over 25 years of civil war and rampant poaching. This massive area (4333 square kilometers) was left virtually devoid of wildlife. Furthermore, the area suffered serious habitat destruction, being subjected to annual late season bushfires and the indiscriminate cutting of trees through “slash and burn” agricultural practices. In 2002, Rio Save Safaris (made up of Mokore Safaris, Western Safaris and Gajogo Safaris), took over the concession and set out to rehabilitate the area to its former glory. First, they needed to take control of the massive poaching epidemic and provide surface water for the very limited remaining wildlife.

Over the past 13 years RSS has drilled 22 boreholes and constructed 12 large dams, these provide permanent surface water for the wildlife in Coutada 9. This water is essential for life and all species benefit, including birds, smaller mammals as well as insects. The construction of these dams has been a lengthy and expensive exercise.

Some of the completed dams on Coutada 9 creating permanent surface water for the wildlife.

Since 2003 RSS anti-poaching teams have consistently removed over 1000 gin traps per year, caught on average 150 poacher per year and confiscated numerous homemade muzzle loader rifles as well as a few modern assault weapons like AK 47’s from poachers. For EVERY weapon confiscated, poacher apprehended or trap removed RSS have paid an incentive bonus to the anti-poaching units. Due to these continuous efforts, the wildlife has thrived and flourished, to the stage where most populations have reached sustainable population densities.

A year’s haul of traps and guns with some of RSS anti-poaching game scouts.

Elephants are poisoned by villagers where nothing from the animal was utilized. Most poaching is done for commercial use and totally unsustainable.

Some species populations, however were so low that RSS set out to re-introduce these species. Not a small feat in itself considering no importation of wildlife or inter-area game transfers had ever taken place in Mozambique. After 18 months of tireless negotiations, RSS imported 10 lions in September 2009 from Phinda Game Reserve in South Africa. They were transported and successfully released into Coutada 9 over 1600 km away. The lions were only put in quarantine boma for 3 weeks to settle before being released into Coutada 9. They have settled and are breeding well in the Coutada.

Waterbuck numbers, a species that once thrived in Coutada 9, were down to a mere handful after the civil war. RSS made a deal with Gorongosa National Park to swap 20 Zebra and 40 eland for 146 waterbuck. GNP got to increase their eland and zebra populations and C9 received 146 waterbuck in September 2013. Waterbuck are now seen daily and breeding well.

Eland from Coutada 9 being released into Gorongosa National Park and
the replacement of 146 Waterbuck into C9.

The capture team at work. 

A key priority from the outset, was to boost the local remnant buffalo population and after more than 10 years of trying to source buffalo from surrounding countries as well as within Mozambique RSS was FINALLY granted permission from the Mozambique government to capture 50 buffalo as a trial from the Zambesi Delta reserve. This was finally achieved in 2015. The 50 buffalo were put in quarantine boma initially and are safe and sound in Coutada 9 with plans now to capture a further 250 next year. The 50 buffalo we introduced last year cost RSS over US$75,000.00 not to mention the many frustrating years trying to get permits to do this project.

The first 50 buffalo in their quarantine bomas, November 2015.

These projects and all other developments such as building of road networks, Safari Camps and staff accommodation to date have been funded through trophy hunting. RSS operates on a strict sustainable off-take quota where a small percentage, normally 2-5% of a population, is harvested. These animals are usually males past their prime and their removal has little impact on the overall species population.

All funds raised through trophy hunting to date, have gone back into the conservation and development of this magnificent area as well as to support the local communities. 

RSS employ 50 game scouts for anti-poaching alone as well as another 60 plus people for all other development work required. This in turn provides over 100 families with a reliable source of income and food annually.

Of the animals harvested 25 % of the trophy fee received from foreign hunters goes directly to the local communities. RSS also supplies most meat to the community either directly through delivering it to the local villages or indirectly through issuing it to the staff working within the Coutada. The meat from ALL animals harvested is FULLY utilized, including lions, baboons and especially elephant.

RSS has also built a school, clinic and drilled boreholes for the surrounding communities. Many of our hunting clients have made donations to the school personally or in the form of delivering SCI Blue Bags.

Poaching, as opposed to legal trophy hunting, is indiscriminate, without regard to age, sex or species of animals killed. There is no respect for boundaries or numbers of animals harvested and if not constantly policed there WILL be no wildlife left. The general modus operandi of the poachers in this region is hunting with homemade gin traps or snares which is very cruel. When RSS initially arrived in Coutada 9 almost every animal harvested by hunters was missing a foot from these traps.

Basically, the animal once trapped will drag the trap around for 3 -4 days until the poachers catch up to it and kill it with an axe or spear. Some species such as lion, buffalo, leopard and elephant that they cannot kill due to the danger aspect with their axes are left to drag these traps around for weeks until the animal dies either from starvation or from infection. Sometimes the animal’s foot rots, breaks or is bitten off. These survivors are then crippled for life, or slowly lose condition and die.

One male lion had three of its four limbs injured from traps. Thanks to hunter supported anti-poaching efforts there are far fewer cases of injured animals but still a massive and continual problem.

An eland with a trap on that escaped the poachers with two axes embedded in it and a baby elephant that had to be put down after dragging this trap for over a week and another that eventually died from infection and starvation.

A buffalo cow that was caught in a trap that was put down after a week, as was the kudu, one of several elephant poached annually for their ivory and a buffalo bull shot with a trap on it.

A mature lioness and a sub-adult lioness that both died from these traps.

A young male lion that was caught with a trap, after a week its foot rotted off and is now walking around with only 3 feet.

The illegal cutting of hardwoods for planking is another massive problem and the RSS anti-poaching team is heavily involved in trying to protect all the beautiful hardwoods on Coutada 9.

The only donations received to date have been from the hunting organizations, Dallas Safari Club and Safari Club International. RSS would like to thank them both for helping us save the animals and habitat on Coutada 9.

A massive THANK YOU to all the hunters who in following their passion for adventure in wild Africa have saved thousands of animals in Coutada 9, provided employment and income for many families as well as fed thousands of local villagers over the past 13 years. None of the animals pictured here have names but hunters are the ONLY ones fighting to save these remote and wonderful areas and their wildlife. Your continued support of sustainable hunting is greatly appreciated. Due to its location and topography many areas are totally unsuitable to photographic type tourism and thus would not generate the necessary funds to rejuvenate and protect these wild areas.

Pictured above is 1306 gin traps, 68 cable snares, 9 can rat traps and 25 homemade muzzle loaders that were collected by our RSS anti-poaching team in 2015 alone. This anti-poaching effort alone costs RSS over US$100,000.00 annually, all of this comes from sustainable hunting.

After 13 years of hard work Coutada 9 boasts one of the best game population densities in wild unfenced Africa today and will only improve since the addition of more waterbuck, lion and buffalo to the Coutada.