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Illegal game hunter nabbed in Longido

By Arusha Times Correspondent

A resident of Oldonyo Sambu village in Arumeru district has been identified as one of the ring leaders of illegal hunters of wild animals at a protected wildlife area in Ol Tepesi village in the neighbouring Longido district in Arusha region.

The suspect was arrested by the villagers recently and taken to the Longido police station, said the village chairman Sanjoi Lendia, alleging that he has been killing animals using a shot gun.

He said hunting of wildlife for their trophies was rampant in the vast Longido district which has two wildlife management areas (WMAs), six hunting blocs for licensed hunters and three gazetted forest reserves.

The district wildlife officer for Longido Peter Kubingwa confirmed the arrest and that he found the suspect at the police station after he was informed by the villagers on the incident.

Longido district is rich with wildlife, some of the animals using it as a migration corridor between various protected areas such as the Arusha and Kilimanjaro National Parks as well as the Ngorongoro Conservation Area (NCA).

Tourism has picked up there in recent years, thanks to the professional hunters from abroad as well as tourists visiting the cultural bomas under the cultural tourism programme managed by the Tanzania Tourist Board (TTB). Tourist hunting has generated the badly-needed cash for the villages.

Officials working with the Natural Resources Department in the district, however, have lately expressed their concerns on increasing felling of trees for charcoal production which, according to them, has been accelerated by the big demand of the fuel wood in Arusha city and Namanga town.

The district forest officer Jacob Oforo said the local authorities are working in collaboration with the non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to enhance conservation of natural resources in the district through WMAs.
The district has 39 villages and 95 per cent of its inhabitants depend on livestock for their livelihood.

According to the official, 40 per cent of funds received from the ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism is channeled to conservation and 60 per cent for general expenditure.

The acting district executive director Ramadhani Musiba said the district has prepared a land use plan for all the villages and that it will include demarcation of village boundaries.

The villagers are also sensitized to embrace participatory forest management (PFM) practices through the support of the African Wildlife Fund (AWF).