Rescued Bulawayo Zebras Adjusting Well at Wildlife Sanctuary

By Monalisa Ntibane

Two zebras that caused a stir after wandering into Bulawayo’s city centre on Sunday, are now settling comfortably at the Free to Be Wild sanctuary in Burnside.

Conservationists say the animals are recovering well after the stressful ordeal and have already bonded with other zebras at the facility. They are also being treated for minor injuries sustained during their unexpected journey into town.

Speaking to SkyzMetro FM, wildlife conservationist Baye Pigors said the rescue highlighted the need for greater wildlife education, noting that many people involved had never encountered zebras before. She added that the Free to Be Wild education programme reached about 14,000 school children last year.

“The rescue proved that wildlife education is important because a lot of people had never seen or encountered a zebra before this incident,” she said.

Pigors also stressed the importance of strong collaboration among stakeholders, calling for effective anti-poaching units, secure fencing, and monitoring teams to prevent similar incidents, which can endanger both animals and the public.

“Strong collaboration is important among stakeholders to ensure that such incidents never happen. We need effective anti-poaching units, secure fencing as well as monitoring teams,” Pigors said.

The two zebras were rescued in a joint operation involving Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, Bulawayo City Council rangers, Free to Be Wild rescue team and concerned members of the public.