South Africa: Zambia Needs $1.5m to Restock Wildlife Lost from Poaching


BuaNews (Tshwane)

2 June 2008
Posted to the web 2 June 2008

Lusaka

The Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) needs $1.5 million for animal restocking in its national parks around the country as heavy poaching has caused the animal populations in parks across the country to decrease, says ZAWA Director-General Lewis Saiwana.

He said on Sunday that conservation efforts should be started by restocking the national parks, citing as an example the Zambezi National Park as one which had been adversely affected by poaching.


He pointed out that illegal squatters in the Zambezi park were suspected to have been contributing to the massive poaching of animals.

Dr Saiwana said the squatters in the park had since been given up to 30 June to vacate the area.

Failure to comply with the ultimatum would result in ZAWA using force to remove them.

"Notice has been given to the people living in the park to leave by 30 June on their own accord. If they do not, then ZAWA will have them removed forcibly because it is illegal to stay in a national park," he added.

Dr Saiwana noted that animals such as the kudu, impala, buffalo, zebra, and bush buck were among those targeted by poachers.

He added that as soon as the squatters leave the Zambezi National Park, ZAWA, with help from co-operating partners, would start restocking the park.

Meanwhile, Mr Saiwana disclosed that ZAWA had embarked on a programme of allocating tourism concessions to private investors to help develop North Luangwa National Park in Chinsali district in northern province.

He said tourism concession agreements would be granted to private investors, including Zambians, who would help develop the park and boost tourism in the country.

"ZAWA is 100 percent in charge of national parks and so tourism concessions will be given to private investors who will develop the park by establishing lodges and hotels that will attract investors and boost tourism in the country as a whole," he said. - BuaNews-NNN

Somebody better feed those squatters....send more animals....quick!

i have to think that zawa is serious. last year we ran into quite a bit of poaching, chased poachers, etc. when confronted with the things going on zawa immediately sent in 4 truckloads of national game scouts and as i understand it did quite a clean up job

Only slightly tongue-in-cheek, why not put poachers on license?
The University is going to fire me for this one.

thats kinda what zawa did

Read between the lines on that one.

I was wondering where all those shrunken heads for sale on Ebay were coming from.