EDITORIAL: The new wave of poaching should be nipped in the bud

This Day News
March 19, 2009

EDITOR
DAR ES SALAAM

TANZANIA is one of the few countries in the world that have placed a third of its land and water surface under protection. The land of Kilimanjaro is unique for having a vast and varied natural treasure that has since become extinct in the larger parts of the world.

With over 13 land parks that host millions of flora and fauna, not to mention the unique two marine parks of Mafia and Mnazi Bay on the border with Mozambique; every effort had been made by Tanzania to ensure that it bears the stewardess of protecting the fast dwindling flora and fauna for the benefit of mankind.

These protected territories which form the backbone of the tourist industry ought to be preserved for their amazing flora and fauna, not to say the great attraction it attaches to tourism, which is now contributing immensely to the economy of the country.

But most importantly, Tanzania prides itself for taking a lead in conservation, a move which has seen the re-emergence of animal and plant species which were thought to be extinct. In this category we have the jumbos, whose population in the 1970s had fallen drastically but has now been reversed.

We have also seen the resurgence of sea turtles and dugong in our seas because of conservation.

But the real threat to these successes is the new wave of poaching in the land parks, coral blasting in the sea, illegal exportation of tree resources, not to say the precious ivory. This illegality, which seems to be a well syndicated effort, is threatening the country’s noble goal.

While Tanzania’s Selous Game Reserve is said to host the largest population of jumbos in the continent, the recent reports from Vietnam of a container full of tusks, whose documents show that it was exported from Dar es Salaam, Tanzania are baffling.

But most startling, is the aura of ignorance by top brass in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism who say they are completely unaware of such a big haul of tusks the Vietnamese have said would auction if the owners do not come forward.

The tusks in a 40 feet container are said to be worth millions of US dollars. Our worry of the safety of the elephants and other animals from neighbouring parks is real. For if such huge government trophies could be easily shipped out of the country ’unnoticed,’ what guarantee could be placed on our jumbos and other rare resources?

Our paper has carried a story originating in Morogoro which shows that police have busted one Ally Salum Saidi when they found incriminating evidence of poaching in his house. The raid unearthed meat and many government trophies. Although we were told that the man managed to escape the police, we call on the authorities to catch him. He might give us further tips!

The arrest of that man is essential first to ensure he is brought before the law, and secondly to guarantee the safety of our jumbos in Selous and Mikumi and elsewhere in the country.

We also want the authorities to give proper explanation of how a container full of tusks could have been shipped out of Dar es Salaam Port to Vietnam.