The Zimbabwe government will set up a board of inquiry to investigate rhino horns that are missing from its storage, an official said on Monday.

Following the discovery of the missing 56 rhino horns, the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority in June sent its director-general Edison Chidziya on a two-month forced leave to facilitate investigations.

The missing horns have a weight of 228 kg.

A board member of the national parks agency Cephas Mudenda said government would now appoint a board of inquiry comprising various stakeholders to investigate the missing horns.

"We decided as a board to send Chidziya on forced leave after he failed to report about the missing rhino horns," said Mudenda while presenting oral evidence before a parliamentary committee on Environment, Water, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry.

"The missing horns were identified in an internal audit report but Chidziya kept the report to himself and did not report to the police," he added.

Rhinos are one of the endangered species in the southern African country after its population has declined significantly over the years to about 800 due to poaching.

Zimbabwe's ivory stockpile has now grown to 70 tonnes worth about 35 million U.S. dollars amid an international ban in ivory trade.

The country will thus lobby for the removal of the trade ban at the upcoming 17th session of Conference of Parties (COP 17) to the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) to be held in Johannesburg, South Africa next month.

The country argues that it needs to sustainably utilize its abundant wildlife to drive social-economic development.

Source : XINHUA