HC Deb 21 July 1994 vol 247 cc466-7W
Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what discussions he has held with the Zimbabwe Government over the future of the black rhino and the African elephant.

Mr. Atkins

My noble Friend Lord Strathclyde had such discussions with Dr. Murerwa, the Zimbabwean Minister for Tourism and Wildlife, when he visited the country in 1992. Officials of my Department have had frequent contacts with their colleagues in Zimbabwe on these matters, notably in Harare during the United Kingdom-led EC fact-finding mission on the African elephant issue in late 1992 and last year in Nairobi at the United Nations Environment Programme rhino conserva-tion conference.

Mr. Hinchliffe

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what information he has available on the white rhino population in Africa.

Mr. Atkins

The estimated figures for 1993 indicate that the total number of white rhino in Africa is 5,821. This represents an increase of over 1,000 since 1990. The rise is evident only in South Africa which holds 5,300 of the species.