Mozambique: Export of Animal Trophies


Agencia de Informacao de Mocambique (Maputo)

13 November 2007
Posted to the web 13 November 2007

Pemba

Mozambique earns more than 17.6 million meticais (about 700,000 US dollars) a year in the export of wild animal trophies, particularly elephants and leopards.

According to the National Director for Conservation Areas, Bartolomeu Soto, hunters are allowed to kill 80 elephants a year and, as from this year, also 120 leopards, and then export the trophies.


The export of an elephant will earn the country about 100,000 meticais (4,000 US dollars) and a hunter will pay 80,000 meticais for a leopard, an increase on the 60,000 meticais charged until recently past.

Mozambique is estimated to have 37,000 leopards and more than 23,000 elephants. The quota for killing and exporting leopards was increased from 80 to 120 because of their large numbers.

The quota of animals that can be killed is determined by the International Convention of Trade on Endangered Species (CITES), ratified by 150 countries, Mozambique included.



Soto was talking to reporters in the northern city of Pemba on Monday, during a regional meeting on wild life, jointly organized by the Safari Club International (SCI) and the Tourism Ministry.

The meeting is to facilitate dialogue between countries to enhance efforts to protect endangered species and fight against poaching and illegal trade in animal products.

The aim is to produce a plan of action taking into account the reality in each country. Participants at the four day meeting come from Mozambique, Malawi, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

That doesn't help us much in the States. I'm working in Moz next summer but don't know if I will ever hunt there and that's a shame.