article: World Ranger Day (31 July) is dedicated to the men and women who put themselves on the frontline to protect our wildlife from one of the biggest armed scourges of the 21st Century. Some estimate that gangs of poachers kill two or three rangers every week in game reserves across Africa. It has become a bitter battle against poaching. If the elephants and the rhinos could release press statements on their respective international days, they would tell you that the killings of their kind have multiplied since 2006. And even though some recent studies suggest the killing of elephants has slowed, some experts believe that the decline in deaths could be down to fewer elephants being alive to poach. Organised criminals with sophisticated GPS systems and deadly arms seem to stop at nothing to get tusks and rhino horns to sell in Asian markets for millions of dollars. It is the rangers who stand between them and the killers. Farai Sevenzo: "It is no surprise that South Sudan's protracted rebellions have affected animals and the men and women who try to protect them" A recent WWF survey of game rangers in Africa found some rangers barely had the equipment, including boots, to fight poachers in Tanzania and the Democratic Republic of Congo and were regularly abandoned as a low priority of governments. Of those surveyed, 75% said they had been threatened by community members for the work they do in protecting wildlife and a staggering 54% said they would not want their children to become rangers - which is bad news for those elephants, rhinos and gorillas slowly dwindling to extinction. Just two weeks ago the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority put out a tender for the supply of new vehicles for its directors and an advert for two new executives just when its working rangers, toiling to stop poachers in 45C heat, had not been paid for three months. Members of a parliamentary committee on the environment noticed the lack of priorities and were not impressed. More on poaching in Africa: The war on elephants Does burning actually destroy ivory? Can drones tackle wildlife poaching? My daughter the gorilla It is also clear that the pressure on a ranger can come from their own, so it is little wonder that some of them are turning from game keeper to poacher just to stay alive. Zimbabwe has managed to capture two of its most-wanted poaching suspects in the last week, according to the state-run Chronicle newspaper. Altogether 10 suspects were arrested in separate operations, though its report shows the difficulty of tracking down poachers. The tools of their trade may be simple - the paper lists some being arrested with a couple of rifles, a silencer, ammunition, a knife, a torch and a getaway car - but their collusion with local chiefs makes them more lethal to animals and rangers alike. It is no surprise that the deaths of elephants and rangers in DR Congo were at the hands of armed militias, and that South Sudan's protracted rebellions have affected animals
summary: In our series of letters from African journalists, film-maker and columnist Farai Sevenzo looks at those most in danger in the battle against poachers in Africa.