https://allafrica.com/stories/202009210692.html



Tanzania: Roadkill Rates Alarming As 380 Lions Perish


21 SEPTEMBER 2020

Tanzania Daily News (Dar es Salaam)

By Deus Ngowi

THE public has been urged to join up forces to curb road carnage in lions, as alarming figures of wildlife road deaths emerge.

In just 58 kilometres of 47 transects of Tarangire Manyara Ecosystem (TME) in the northern part of the country, a record 380 lions were killed by vehicles plying in the area last year alone.

The Director of Centre for Wildlife Management Studies, Dr Bernard Kissui unveiled the figures at Burunge Wildlife Management Area (WMA) on Thursday, saying the road kills have a lot of impact in the wildlife as it means that on average each day a lion is killed.

"Road kills of animal counts are at an alarming rate; just last year (2019) 380 lions were killed by vehicles as per our data. The bloody spot is at Kwakuchinja. This has to be stopped by joining forces among stakeholders," said Dr Kissui who is a specialist in research on lions.



He noted that there is a huge problem that must be addressed by both the government and private sector, and proposed that in the wildlife corridors be constructed flyovers or underpass so as to get rid of the souring killings.

Dr Kissui was also of the opinion that some speed humps and cameras should be fitted on the areas so as to record the incidents and authorities take necessary actions, put warning sign posts, on the areas and warned that the situation is a multisectoral issue.

In a field visit by journalists from the Journalists' Environmental Association of Tanzania (JET) that was supported by the United State Agency for International Development (USAID), Dr Kissui said that other species that are in danger and are being killed are aves and reptilia.



He said that some of the causes are attributed to high speed and carelessness of drivers, animals' attitude in moving around especially at night, adding that most lions are killed during rainy seasons. He said that elephants are also killed in their corridors

The field visit was preceded by three-day training to 30 journalists across the country on biodiversity conservation reporting. The training built their capacity to communicate biodiversity conservation messages and raise awareness and passion for reporting conservation issues.

USAID and JET support journalists by providing a five-month mentorship programme, field visits and story grants. The project was a success; it helped create awareness not only on conservation matters but further on tourism.

The Burunge WMA is located in Tanzania's wildlife-rich northern tourist circuit and is close to both Tarangire and Manyara National Parks. It is roughly 18 kilometres from the main gate of Tarangire National Park, 20 kilometres from Majimoto and Tarangire airstrips and less than 10 kilometres from the southern boundary of the Lake Manyara National Park. The WMA is bisected by the Arusha-Babati-Singida-Dodoma Highway.

It occupies the land and the migratory corridors between Tarangire, Lake Manyara, and the adjacent Manyara ranch, making it an area of high conservation significance.

The area is widely known for its large buffalo population that moves in and out of Tarangire. The presence of Lake Burunge in the WMA attracts the migration of water birds such as greater and lesser flamingos and a range of ducks and shore birds.

Sounds like they need to set driving slot times the daylight like from 8 AM to 4 PM and then close the road off in the off hours.

Having seen and been around vehicles that have run into animals from pigs to cattle/horses, there would be some major damage to the vehicle, if the animal were killed. I have seen pictures of vehicles hitting moose and the vehicle has major damage. I have seen vehicles total and the animal was able to walk away.

While the article list lions and they come in different sizes in their lives from a few pounds upward to 500 pounds and that would cause some signifiant damage to a vehicle.

I would tend to think that if someone hit an elephant hard enough to kill it, the vehicle would still be there.

l was in Kenya back in '95 and our driver said it would be wise never to go to Tanzania as they drove like maniacs!!
With all the technological advances in vehicles, it's still controlled and driven at high speed by human idiot mk1.

Interesting.

I believe kwakuchinja means “to kill/slaughter.”

This is the area Blixen baited lions for the Prince of Wales.

380 lions in 58 kilometers of road? Impossible.

This is the internet, I think SCI should check out the validity of 380 Lions in 58 kilometers, I am suspect of the quote and the honesty of the professor for that matter..but lets see is my take, if true then SCI should step in with a program and I'll pay my fair share..Kenya and Tanzania are swollen with corruption, and money grabbing bad guys in suits..

There is no way this is true. Tarangire doesn't have that many lions within 20 miles of the 58 kilometres in question.

You do tend to get prey animals killed along roads going through NP's in Tanzania. This obviously attracts lions who loiter and feed on the road kill.

Perhaps 10 years ago while driving through Mikumi NP, we saw a road kill buff. It was hit by a semi truck. I asked a park ranger if there was a penalty. He said yes. On a buffalo, the penalty is $5,000 USD. Impala may have been $500 or so. I don't remember what Lion was, but it was in the ten's of thousands according to the ranger. There is no way for a truck driver to pay those fees if what the ranger said was correct. Also the truck was impounded until the fine was paid.

Not sure if it is still the case, but buses were forbidden from driving through Mikumi at night. Not so trucks and cars. It is also where I and my passengers nearly came to grief when a mob of Giraffes suddenly ran out of the Nyika in front of and around our vehicle.

A lion a day seems way excessive.

And maybe if a car full of greenies kills a named lion on the way to see the "wildlife" they too can have their name smeared all over the internet.

Only a thought.....

quote:

Originally posted by BushPeter:
380 lions in 58 kilometers of road? Impossible.

Agreed! Total BS.

If we are talking in terms of generic road-kills I could agree but to quote 380 Lions in a 58kms stretch of road is a load of crap!

"On a buffalo, the penalty is $5,000 USD. Impala may have been $500 or so. I don't remember what Lion was, but it was in the ten's of thousands according to the ranger."

The Ranger was talking for the sake of wagging his tongue to make himself feel important.

The current trophy fee to foreigners for a Buffalo is a fraction short of $3,500 while its value to the government is shy of $100 (based on figures related to the proposed Ranching Regs.)and an Impala's worth is around $20.

The applicable rate for a hunting license on Buffalo for citizens is approx. $200 while for non-citizen residents it is double the figure.

The penalty for breaking the speed limit is approx. $15

Lat but not least, a Tanzanian truck driver would barely make $5,000 in a year.

quote:

Originally posted by fulvio:
"On a buffalo, the penalty is $5,000 USD. Impala may have been $500 or so. I don't remember what Lion was, but it was in the ten's of thousands according to the ranger."

The Ranger was talking for the sake of wagging his tongue to make himself feel important.

The current trophy fee to foreigners for a Buffalo is a fraction short of $3,500 while its value to the government is shy of $100 (based on figures related to the proposed Ranching Regs.)and an Impala's worth is around $20.

The applicable rate for a hunting license on Buffalo for citizens is approx. $200 while for non-citizen residents it is double the figure.

The penalty for breaking the speed limit is approx. $15

Lat but not least, a Tanzanian truck driver would barely make $5,000 in a year.

I will certainly defer to your knowledge regarding penalties for road kill in the NP's.

For my own curiosity, I decided to look the fees up on the National Parks website. Something I should have done initially.

No clue if accident means hitting animal or not.

https://www.tanzaniaparks.go.t...%20August%202020.pdf



BB. FINE FOR VEHICLES CAUSING ACCIDENT IN ALL NATIONAL PARKS TShs 200,000

CC. FINE FOR OVERSPEEDING IN ALL NATIONAL PARKS TShs 50,000

Farmers routinely run over and shoot every cat they can find. These are not necessarily all road "accidents".

This is just poor journalism. Quite common around here

The 380 dead lion figure is probably all deaths related to human wildlife conflict and perhaps the occasional road kill.....