VOA新闻杂志2024--Man Jailed for Poaching, Now Protects Zimbabwe's Natural Resources

A Zimbabwean who formerly¹ hunted animals illegally is now in a program that turns such poachers into protectors of wildlife.

Forty-seven-year-old Tembanechako Mastick grew up hunting, a tradition in his community. He also planted crops and raised farm animals, or livestock². But dry weather conditions made farming less profitable³. So, he turned to illegal hunting, also called poaching.

Then, last year, he got caught. Mastik had poached some small game from Savé Valley Conservancy. It is one of the largest private game reserves in Africa. Mastick was jailed for nearly three months.

Now, he is in a program that aims to turn poachers into conservationists.

Recently, Mastick was with a group of men. They found the den⁴ of some hyenas⁵ that had recently attacked livestock. The bones of the goats showed what happened. Some of the men suggested using fire to burn any hyenas remaining in the den. But Mastick warned against killing⁶ the animals, whether for revenge⁷ or for meat.

He said, "I began to realize that animals are for the benefit of the entire community, so poaching is a selfish act."

Spreading that message is not easy. Across southern Africa, conflict between humans and wild animals is increasing. Dry weather, illegal hunting, tree-clearing, and the changing of forest to farmland have pushed wildlife closer to people.

Elephants raid⁸ vegetable gardens. Lions, hyenas, wild dogs and jackals target cattle and goats of farmers. Donkeys that work on farms are not safe either.

Zimbabwe's parks agency said it has received three to four thousand calls about wildlife problems in the past three years. Tinashe Farawo of the Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority said the conflicts are likely to increase during the dry months ahead.

Mastick remembers when there were good harvests of corn, millet⁹ and cotton. The wild animals stayed in the forest back then.

He said the problems began after the country's land reform program went into effect in 2000. People started farming on land held by the Savé Valley Conservancy. The Conservancy said it lost 30 percent of the wildlife habitat on its 303,000 hectares of land.

At the same time, drought hit Mastick's village. "...Lions began targeting our livestock. Elephants also became a problem, hyenas too," he said. There was not enough land to feed livestock, and people from neighboring villages crossed into the reserve to get wood.

Dingani Masuku of the conservancy said, "All resources are scarce. So we have to compete (with animals) for those resources...The resources are getting leaner and leaner."

Mastick often has to calm angry villagers who have lost livestock. He knows about the problem. He starts each day by counting his own cattle, goats and donkeys. Once he had 45 goats. Now, he has only 10. Wild animals have eaten the rest. Mastick himself has bites from animals including from a leopard¹⁰ attack.

"Without crop harvests we have to turn to livestock to raise money for school fees, food and other necessities so people are justified¹¹ to be angry," he said. But he added, "I help them understand that killing the animals is not the solution."

Part of his message is that jail is difficult. His family suffered while he was in prison because he had been the family's only earner.

Several of his 20 children stopped going to school.

But in jail, he learned new skills including carpentry. Now, he makes chairs and tables in his workshop that have been popular with visitors and locals. Men visit his workshop, and Mastick tells them about conservation. He also speaks at village gatherings¹², funerals and community meetings.

There is no information about poaching in the area. But Mastick believes the number of poachers has dropped since he started his efforts.

Masuku of the Conservancy said people believe Mastick and gain hope from his work as a carpenter.

He said, "People know that he has been through it, he has been there and that poaching does not pay and that is why he is reforming."

Words in This Story

game -n. animals that can be hunted

conservationist -n. a person who protects and manages natural resources, so they last for the future

den -n. a cave or hole where animals shelter

revenge -n. when a person sets out to punish someone who hurt them in some way

scarce -adj. difficult to find

lean -adj. thin or having little or nothing

breadwinner -n. the person whose income supports a family

carpentry -n. the job of making things out of wood

1 formerly   

adv.从前，以前

参考例句：

• We now enjoy these comforts of which formerly we had only heard.我们现在享受到了过去只是听说过的那些舒适条件。
• This boat was formerly used on the rivers of China.这船从前航行在中国内河里。

2 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

3 profitable   

adj.有益的，能带来利益的，有利可图的

参考例句：

• That business became profitable last year.那项生意去年变得很赚钱。
• The convention business is very profitable for the hotel industry.承办会议业务能给旅馆业带来很高的利润。

4 den   

n.兽穴；秘密地方；安静的小房间，私室

参考例句：

• There is a big fox den on the back hill.后山有一个很大的狐狸窝。
• The only way to catch tiger cubs is to go into tiger's den.不入虎穴焉得虎子。

5 hyenas   

n.鬣狗( hyena的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• These animals were the prey of hyenas. 这些动物是鬣狗的猎物。 来自辞典例句
• We detest with horror the duplicity and villainy of the murderous hyenas of Bukharinite wreckers. 我们非常憎恨布哈林那帮两面三刀、杀人破坏，干尽坏事的豺狼。 来自辞典例句

6 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

7 revenge   

v.报...之仇，为...报仇 ；n.报仇，复仇

参考例句：

• She poisoned his mind with ideas of hate and revenge.她用复仇的思想来毒害他的心灵。
• There was anger in his eyes and revenge in his heart.他两眼闪现怒火，一心只想复仇。

8 raid   

v.劫掠，攫取，袭击，突击搜捕；n.突然袭击

参考例句：

• Our house was blown up in an air raid.在一次空袭中我们的房子被炸掉了。
• During their raid on the house,the police found a lot of drugs.在对这所房子的搜查中，警方发现了大量的毒品。

9 millet   

n.小米，谷子

参考例句：

• Millet is cultivated in the middle or lower reaches of the Yellow River.在黄河中下游地区，人们种植谷子。
• The high quality millet flour was obtained through wet milling.采用湿磨法获得了高品质的小米粉。

10 leopard   

n.豹

参考例句：

• I saw a man in a leopard skin yesterday.我昨天看见一个穿着豹皮的男人。
• The leopard's skin is marked with black spots.豹皮上有黑色斑点。

11 justified   

a.正当的，有理的

参考例句：

• She felt fully justified in asking for her money back. 她认为有充分的理由要求退款。
• The prisoner has certainly justified his claims by his actions. 那个囚犯确实已用自己的行动表明他的要求是正当的。

12 gatherings   

聚集( gathering的名词复数 )； 收集； 采集； 搜集

参考例句：

• His conduct at social gatherings created a lot of comment. 他在社交聚会上的表现引起许多闲话。
• During one of these gatherings a pupil caught stealing. 有一次，其中一名弟子偷窃被抓住。