Namibia auctions wildlife to raise funds for conservation
26 Jul, 2008, 0353 hrs IST, AGENCIES


NAMIBIA: A South African farmer paid 4 million rands (US$527,000) for eight Namibian black rhinos on Friday, as Namibia auctioned five species of rare animals and raised 19 million rands (US$2.5 million) in less than an hour.

The government holds such auctions every two years to raise funds that are then used in conserving and managing protected areas, and says this has contributed immensely to improving wildlife populations in the country and beyond.

``Our wildlife are proudly making a contribution to wildlife sectors in South Africa, Botswana, Zambia, the U.S., Nigeria and other countries as Namibia has become a major player in the wildlife industry, not only through auctions like this, but through targeted donations to sister countries to help revive dwindling populations,'' said Kalumbi Shangula, a top official in the Ministry of Environment and Tourism.

Namibia, a sparsely populated southern African nation, is renowned for its stunning desert scenes and well-managed game reserves teeming with wildlife. Conservation efforts have led to a dramatic increase in populations of lions, cheetahs, elephants and rhinos.

The South African farmer, only identified as J. Hartzenberg, topped other bidders at the auction held at a local hotel and paid an average of R500,000 or US$67,000 for each of the five female and three male black rhinos that were on offer.

Another South African game farmer, Peit Haasbroek, paid 7 million rands (US$926,000) for 27 buffalo that were auctioned. Haasbroek, who owns a hunting farm, said he now has 70 buffaloes.

The rhinos and the buffaloes were only sold to foreign buyers in what Shangula said was a move aimed at helping managing the two species' population.

Ninety black-faced impalas, 16 sable antelope and 21 giraffes also were made available to buyers in Namibia to boost local breeding stock.

Shangula said the government planned to make available zebras, springbok, oryx and eland to black farmers who have been resettled on former white-owned farms, as part of the country's land redistribution program, through the newly created Wildlife Breeding Stock Loan Scheme.

The money raised at this year's auction, which is more than the US$1 million raised in 2006, would be deposited into the Game Products Trust Fund, which was created to channel revenues from wildlife products into conservation and community development programs, Shangula said.