http://allafrica.com/stories/201407070186.html



Tanzania: MP Wants All Hunting Companies Probed
7 July 2014



SHADOW Natural Resources and Tourism Minister Peter Msigwa asked the government to extensively probe all hunting companies in the country, saying some of the licensed firms were violating legislation and regulations governing wildlife conservation.

Mr Msigwa, who is also Iringa Urban MP (Chadema), said it was high time the government, through the ministry, went public on how much fine and charges it had collected from hunting companies that had infringed existing laws.

The opposition MP also challenged the minister responsible, Mr Lazaro Nyalandu, to take actions against officials in the ministry who he accused of failing to enforce the Wildlife Conservation Act of 2009 and the Wildlife Conservation (Tourist Hunting) Regulations of 2010.

In a news conference in Dar es Salaam, the MP showed a video clip to journalists (which we cannot independently verify), showing officials of Green Miles Safari breaching existing legislation and regulations on wildlife conservation in Selous Game Reserve.

"This company has continued to operate unabated within the game reserve despite my presentation of evidence to the government in regard to violations of laws, including wounding them and chasing them by vehicles," the vocal MP told journalists.

Mr Msigwa also accused the company of allowing its clients to shoot at female wildebeest and young buffalos, among others, while Section 56 of the legislation prohibits hunting or killing young and female animals.

And whereas Section 50 (1) of the law forbids the capture of wild animals without a valid permit, the Iringa Urban parliamentarian alleged that he has evidence to prove that the hunting firm has been capturing zebra foals, young warthogs and black bellied bustards.

"Clients of the company are also recorded using semi-automatic weapons, particularly shotguns, in addition to weapons fitted with suppressors, which are illegal with game reserves and national parks.

"It is also documented in the clip of how Green Miles Safari's clients are allowed to hunt in the game reserve without a professional hunter of wildlife offices contrary to Section 20 (2) of the regulations," Mr Msigwa claimed.

According to the MP, the hunting company has been among others, allowing underage clients to hunt birds in the Africa's largest wildlife sanctuary, in violation of Section 42 of the legislation which states that no person under the age of 18 would be allowed to hunt.

Efforts to contact Mr Nyalandu and the Acting Director of Wildlife Division, Mr Paul Sarakikya, were not successful yesterday as their mobile phones went unanswered.

Green Mile Safaris is representing the royal family from Abu Dhabi. Zahir Mulla ph'ing for them. Birds of a feather......

Msigwa wants govt to act on ‘video evidence’

By Athuman Mtulya ,The Citizen Reporter

Posted Monday, July 7 2014 at 09:47
IN SUMMARY
Some of the offences that the company is alleged to have committed include hunting with automatic weapons fitted with silencers, hunting female and young animals and using a vehicle to chase and knock down animals.
Dar es Salaam. Tourism and Natural Resources shadow minister Peter Msigwa has asked the government to revoke the hunting licence issued to a firm operating at Selous Game Reserve.
The Reverend Msigwa said yesterday that the company had committed 11 offences, contrary to the Wildlife Conservation Act of 2009 and the Wildlife Conservation (Tourist Hunting) Regulations of 2010.
The opposition lawmaker said he presented in Parliament a video clip to back allegations he had levelled against the company, but nothing had been done.
Reached for comment, Natural Resources and Tourism minister Lazaro Nyalandu told The Citizen that the ministry was working on the video clip and would issue a statement in two weeks.
“After receiving the video in Parliament, I directed officials in the Wildlife Department to check its authenticity, and whether any offence had been committed.”
“I want to assure you that if our investigation established that the company has been violating our laws we will not hesitate to deal with them including taking back their hunting blocks,” he said.
According to the Rev Msigwa the video clip, titled A Hunting Trip to Tanzania, was shot by the company itself on one of its hunting blocks in Selous Game Reserve and was meant for publicity.
“There is no one to question them and it has reached a point where this company is revealing its mistakes. Where was the government when all this was being done? Or is it corruption that we have always been talking about? They are failing the country.”
Some of the offences that the company is alleged to have committed include hunting with automatic weapons fitted with silencers, hunting female and young animals and using a vehicle to chase and knock down animals.
Other offences are hunting alone without a professional hunter or a game scout (wildlife officer), hunting animals and birds which are not listed in the licence issued to the firm and allowing a client who is younger than 18 to hunt.

Are these the same clowns in the video torturing a young eland?

quote:

Originally posted by Bwanamich:
Green Mile Safaris is representing the royal family from Abu Dhabi. Zahir Mulla ph'ing for them. Birds of a feather......

Facts like this are so appalling! This family of means could do so much good for wildlife if they chose but instead decide to support a shady company with a representative of a shady past!

I have been hearing of these atrocities through the grapevine for sometime now.

I have also heard of them (Green Mile) allegedly using political influence to try and steal other companies' legally tendered concessions.

The Minister has revoked their operating license, all hunting permits issued to them, all their blocks and banned their directors from the hunting industry

damn, an African government finally did something about corrupt hunting companies!! hats off to TZ officials.

Couldn't have happened to a more deserving bunch of SOBs.

quote:

Originally posted by jdollar:
damn, an African government finally did something about corrupt hunting companies!! hats off to TZ officials.

Sometimes, criminals push the limits so far any connections they have breaks!

Now, why hasn't the Tanzanian government taken this action a long time ago?

Knowing how those same characters have been involved in all sorts of shady operations in the past?

http://www.ippmedia.com/frontend/index.php?l=69863



Govt scraps Green Miles Safaris licenses
BY PROSPER MAKENE
12th July 2014



The government has scrapped all hunting licenses for the Green Miles Safaris Ltd for violating legislation and regulations governing wildlife conservation by hunting restricted wild animals in Selous Game Reserve.

The company is also accused of shooting female wildebeest and young buffalos.
Speaking with reporters in Dar es Salaam yesterday, Natural Resources and Tourism Minister Lazaro Nyalandu said that after cross checking activities of Green Miles Safaris Ltd including breaching article 19 (1) (2) of the law on hunting safaris, which restricts hunting on animals that are not allowed in hunting, including birds and hyenas.

Nyalandu stated that the hunting company was also fielding non-professional hunters, thus breaching regulations governing wildlife conservation.

“Using executive powers that I have, I announce from today that all hunting licenses for Green Miles Safaris Ltd are scrapped following breach of the legislation and regulations governing wildlife conservation,” he said.

“The Green Miles Safaris Ltd hunter used to hunt young animals, breaching article 56 (1) as well as allowing hunters below ages 18 on hunting activities, breaking article 43 (2) (a) of that legislation. With these reasons I announce abrogating all licenses belonging to their company,” he declared.

He pointed out that it is prohibited for any foreign licensed firm to breach the country’s laws.

“Our country including its natural resources belongs to Tanzanians. It is prohibited for any persons, group, company from any country to destroy the resources we have. Therefore with this order, the government has also put in the black list the directors of this company,” he elaborated.

“As this company breached the legislation and regulations governing wildlife conservation, we are also withdrawing all licenses they have in hunting at Lake Natron GC East, Gonabis/Kidunda-WMA and MKI-Selous,” he stated.

Speaking with newsmen last week, Shadow Natural Resources and Tourism Minister Peter Msigwa asked the government to extensively probe all hunting companies in the country, saying some of the licensed firms were violating legislation and regulations governing wildlife conservation.

Msigwa, who is Iringa Urban MP (Chadema), said it was high time the government, through the ministry, went public on how much fine and charges it had collected from hunting companies that had infringed existing laws.

The opposition MP also challenged the minister responsible, Lazaro Nyalandu, to take action against officials in the ministry who he accused of failing to enforce the Wildlife Conservation Act of 2009 and the Wildlife Conservation (Tourist Hunting) Regulations of 2010.

The MP showed a video clip to journalists showing officials of Green Miles Safari breaching existing legislation and regulations on wildlife conservation in Selous Game Reserve. He said the hunting company has continued to operate unabated within the game reserve despite presentation of evidence to the government in regard to violations of laws, including wounding animals and chasing them by vehicles.

He also accused the company of allowing its clients to shoot at female wildebeest and young buffalos, among others, while Section 56 of the legislation prohibits hunting or killing young and female animals.

Section 50 (1) of the law forbids the capture of wild animals without a valid permit, in which case the Iringa Urban MP insisted that he had evidence to show that the hunting firm has been capturing zebra foals, young warthogs and black bellied bustards.

The hunting company has been allowing underage clients to hunt birds in Africa's largest wildlife sanctuary, in violation of Section 42 of the legislation which states that no person under the age of 18 would be allowed to hunt, the MP added.
SOURCE: THE GUARDIAN

http://www.thecitizen.co.tz/Ne.../1mbn6l/-/index.html


Banned hunting firm threatens court action.

If our community doesn't police itself, there are many anti-hunting groups more than willing to do it for us. Good on TZ for stopping this gang.