Zimbabwe allows bow-and-arrow hunting for buffalo

Zimbabwe is to allow bow and arrow hunting of buffalo in a bid to capture a growing part of the international sports trophy hunting market, an official said Saturday.

"As part of diversifying our product we have now introduced bow and arrow hunting... to attract more people to Zimbabwe," Parks and Wildlife Management Authority spokesman Tinashe Farawo told AFP.

The market for wealthy hunters from the developed world seeking a trophy specimen for display is becoming more competitive.

Earlier this week, neighbouring Botswana ended a five-year ban on elephant hunting, sparking protests from conservationists who reject the argument that it will help provide money for poor countries and lead to better management of animal stocks.

"What we are doing is to capture that market, so that we can also have more revenue and put the money back into conservation, improve our economy, create more jobs," Farawo said.

Zimbabwe boasts a healthy population of buffalo running into hundreds of thousands.

The country's wildlife is already a draw for tourists as well as trophy hunters from the United States, Europe and South Africa.

Perhaps the best-known game park is Hwange, on the border with Botswana, where the killing with a bow and arrow by an American hunter in 2015 of a much-loved lion called Cecil caused worldwide outrage.

Earlier this month, the cash-strapped government said it had sold nearly 100 elephants to China and Dubai for a total price of USD 2.7 million over six years, citing overpopulation in the national parks, encroaching into human settlements, destruction of crops and posing a risk to human life.

The Chronicle newspaper said 93 elephants were flown to parks in China and four to Dubai between 2012 and 2018, They were sold in a price range of between USD 13,500 and USD 41,500 each.