AHI News : Hunters accuse Government 2005/11/18 Arusha Tanzania

RESIDENT hunters in the Northern Zone have pointed an accusing finger at local government game officers responsible for issuing hunting licenses for denying them of licenses to hunt in game controlled areas against the 1974 Wildlife Conservation Act number 12, which grants them freedom to hunt in both, open and game controlled areas.

"It seems tourist some hunting firms are bribing the game officers to restrict resident hunters from hunting in their blocks," the Chairman of Hunters Association of Tanzania (HAT) Northern Zone chapter, Mr Abdul Aboubakar, HAS alleged.

The tourist hunting firms, he said, were misleading tourists by telling them that the firms had exclusive rights over the blocks, leading to the tourists being surprised whenever they come across resident hunters in the blocs, he said.

Mr Aboubakar said the 7,500/- fee the hunting firms paid for their hunting blocks annually, according to the law, did not grant the firms with exclusive rights to restrict resident hunters from hunting in the blocs, but rather restricted other tourist hunting firms to encroach the blocks.

He cited at a letter directing village executive officers and game officers in Babati district not to allow resident hunters to hunt in tourist hunting blocs as well as a license number B 33990 issued on October 28, this year, on behalf of the Babati district game officer in Manyara region with a handwriting reading: 'it is not allowed to hunt in tourist hunting blocs'.

"With the exception of national parks, game reserves and Ngorongoro Conservation Area, resident hunters are allowed to hunt anywhere provided the hunter informed administrative authority of the area," a retired Arusha Regional Gamer Officer, who is a member of the executive committee of the association, Mr Finehas Bwire, clarified.

Mr Brwire said the law compelled the resident hunters to inform the administrative authority of the area so that a game scout could be assigned to guide them and that members of the community in the area could be informed of the hunters' presence, lest they are shocked of gunshots.

The Babati District Game Officer, Mr Toto Kassi, admitted receiving complaints from some of the association members recently but, he said, he was yet to work on them as he was off duty.

Mr Kassi said he would report the complaints to the District Executive Director (DED) on Monday next week, stressing that game officers were supposed to abide by a number of laws, including the wildlife and forest ordinances.

"If this is what is happening, the district council is loosing revenue from the resident hunters," he said, adding that the council was supposed to maximise revenue so long as the quota of animals allocated for hunting by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism allowed.

THE former Arusha Regional Game Officer, who is also a member of the executive committee of the Hunters Association of Tanzania (HAT) Arusha Chapter, Mr Finehas Bwire, stresses a point during a press conference. The assiciation blames local government game officers for restricting them from hunting in tourist hunting blocs against the Wildlife Conservation Act number 12 of 1974. Looking on is the HAT Arusha Chapter Chairman, Mr Abdul Aboubakar Shariff.

Charles Nzo - Arusha

All of what has been said on this is true, excepting that safari hunting operators pay $7,500 per block per year instead of 7,500/- t.shs.($70). Downside is that the resident hunters are in general, totally ignorant, and/or, uncaring about long term sustainability with regards to game resources. In other words, where they hunt, EVERYTHING gets wiped out eventually. This(H.A.T.) is a very dangerous, politically active group, that threatens the long term future of hunting in TZ. I know, I joined H.A.T. to monitor their activities, and was owned a hunting company for a long time.

Jangili,
I don't disagree with you but in the same breath, just as there are unscrupolous resident hunters there are just as many unscrupolous tourist hunting outfitters. At the end of the day, I am not quite sure which of these do the most shooting and killing

Bwanamich,

I'm afraid that I do have to agree with you on that one too...I just don't want to go down that road with names etc.!!