Sad Story on Daily Newshttp://www.dailynews.co.tz/ind...s-30-elephants-daily
With all the new ''Local Hunting Outfitters'' 2013 i doubt poaching will decrase.

Fight Against Poaching SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN Tanzania

Natural Resources and Tourism ministry has seized trophies worth 212m/- in a 17-day countrywide crackdown carried out in collaboration with the national and transnational serious crime investigation unit- between July 22 to date.

The special operation, involving top officials from different security organs including the Tanzania People’s Defence Force, police, intelligence unit, immigration and the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) aims at eliminating poaching in various places in the country.

Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Ambassador Khamis Kagasheki said in a press statement yesterday that they have started with Lindi and Liwale district before moving to other regions.

The minister named the seized trophies as animal skins, elephant tusks, monkey tails, buffalo horns and several others.

He said poachers had left behind a vehicle with registration numbers T 836 ADV, two motorcycles registered T 901 BXQ and T 772 BSD and 149 pieces of timber.

He said the operation which was conducted in 27 villages bordering Selous National Game Reserve was successful because it was also supported by the villagers.

“Security officers managed to seize 80 different weapons including 674 bullets and 289 magazines,” said the minister.

He said some weapon owners surrendered them to Liwale police station while waiting for decisions to be made by the court. He said owners admitted to have used the weapons in poaching while others were hiring them out to poachers under a special agreement.

“Some owners are no longer eligible to own them…the court will decide what to do with the weapons,” Kagasheki said.

He also said that after the operation, a total of 101 suspects were arrested and their cases filed at Liwale police post. He said so far about 15 cases have been taken to court while only one has been ruled on. The other 14 cases are still pending in court.

He said 20 other cases have been heard and given a ‘Binding Over’ judgment. He said the suspects in these cases have been released on bail and given conditions not to travel outside Liwale district, report at Liwale police post at every end of the month, not commit any offence within two years and being interrogated by the regional security committee.

He said police are still going on with investigations on 66 other cases, adding that suspects will be taken to court immediately after investigations complete.

Kagasheki said the ministry would start providing education to the community through various programmes to raise awareness on the importance of preserving natural resources.

Africa is depressing on a few levels. How can "we" make it better? I want to hunt more when I get rich

There is a finite amount of suitable Elephant habitat and you have a human population wave ever growing, ever expanding and ever consuming land. They want food, water, money etc, just like you and me.

I am hoping they do not destroy all the topsoil and that an "Ark" of animals with sufficient genetic diversity exists when at some point in the future the human population is knocked way back. Until that happens, get used to reading about decimated animal populations that must go the way of the dinosaur in order to make way for the millions of hungry people.

SG,
You are so correct. Just like the fact there is a finite amount of water in the world.

http://allafrica.com/stories/201208140556.html


Tanzania: Police Hold Four Poachers Using Chemicals


By Marc Nkwame, 14 August 2012



Karatu — FOUR suspected notorious elephant poachers have been arrested in the Northern Highlands forest which strides the Mbulu-Mbulu ward of Karatu District and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA).

The NCAA Manager of Conservation Services, Mr Amiyo Amiyo said on Tuesday that the suspected poachers have not been using regular methods to kill the elephants. In the place of firearms, the poachers have devised an unorthodox technique to ensnare and kill the elephants by using pumpkins spiked with highly poisonous chemicals.

The suspects have been identified as Jonah Hamsi, his younger brother Romani Hamsi, Issaya Arusha and John Nindi who were found placing ten large pumpkins which were all drilled with holes and stuffed with a purple-coloured item.

NCAA Communications Manager, Mr Adam Akyoo said the village where the four suspects come from is among the areas benefitting from the authorities' myriad community development projects.

A report with reference number 242/5394 from the Chief Government Chemist in Dar-Es-Salaam where samples of the chemical were sent to be analyzed, indicates that the pumpkins were laden with "Nematicide" chemicals which falls under "Carbamates" group of pesticides and which can kill a large elephant in less than 20 minutes.

Known as "Aldicarb", the lethal formula traded as "Temik", works by inhibiting the "Cholinesterase" enzyme thus paralyzing the nervous system and it takes just a small amount to kill a large elephant. "We arrested the four in Kambi-ya-Simba village, an area which is becoming notorious for wildlife poaching and illegal logging of sandalwood in the Northern Highland Forest Reserve," said Inspector Yohana Sinda of the Ngorongoro Division's Police station.

The ten pumpkins together with equally poisoned cobs of maize were placed along the bank of Sahata River in the Mbulu-mbulu Ward of Karatu which borders the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority where an elephant was killed recently through the same method.

"Elephant poaching has just taken new form, in the past it was easy for the rangers to hunt down poachers who were armed with guns but the new method of using poison can be very tricky to contain" said the NCAA conservator, Mr Amiyo. This week's arrest is the third incident in a series of elephant killings by using chemicals. The first occurred last April when four other suspects were arrested who were using poisoned watermelons.

Previously four large elephants were found dead in Manyara Ranch and the bodies decomposed because the Adicarb chemical not only kills the jumbos, but cause them to rot in minutes, making it easy for poachers to extract the tusks. The four suspects will appear in court tomorrow.