TANZANIA: Conservationist Wayne Lotter Murdered

A leading conservationist who had worked hard to bring down notorious elephant poachers and stop ivory-trafficking, has been shot dead in Tanzania, his PAMS Foundation said Thursday.

We are heartbroken to share the news that PAMS Foundation co-founder, Wayne Lotter was shot and killed Wednesday in the Masaki District of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, read a statement from his PAMS Foundation .

The motive for the killing of the South African was unknown.

British primatologist and renowned environmentalist Jane Goodall described Lotter as her hero, a man who had faced stiff opposition and personal threats in his bid to protect Tanzania's wildlife.

PAMS finances Tanzania's National and Transnational Serious Crimes Investigation Unit (NTSCIU) which has scored some massive successes in recent years, arresting nearly 900 poachers and illegal ivory traders.

These include Chinese citizen Yang Fenlan known as the "Ivory Queen", who is currently on trial in Tanzania for illegally trafficking 706 elephant tusks between 2000 and 2014.

In March Tanzania's most notorious poacher, Boniface Matthew Maliango, commonly known as 'The Devil' was handed a 12-year prison sentence after his 2015 arrest by the NTSCIU.

There is no doubt in my mind but that Wayne's anti poaching efforts made a big difference in the fight to save Tanzania's elephants from the illegal ivory trade, said Goodall.

Tanzania has been one of the worst hit by elephant poaching, losing over 66,000 elephants in the last decade, however PAMS believes there has been a dramatic reduction in such poaching since November 2014.

Wayne passionately believed in the importance of involving local communities in the protection of wildlife, and through his work with PAMS he helped train hundreds of village game scouts in many parts of the country, said Goodall.

As a result he gained the support of many of the local people, but inevitably faced strong opposition from dealers and many high level government officials.

Tanzanian police have launched an investigation into his death.

If this cowardly shooting was an attempt to bring the work of the PAMS Foundation to an end it will fail, said Goodall.



Tourism Observer

TANZANIA: Four Chinese Appear In Court For Rhino Horn Smuggling

FOUR Chinese nationals appeared in Mbeya Resident Magistrate Court charged with smuggling rhino horns, a senior police official said, pointing to further gains in the fight against the illegal trade.

Last month, Tanzania, which relies heavily on revenues from safari tourism, charged a prominent Chinese businesswoman, Yang Feng Glan, 66, dubbed the ‘Ivory Queen’, with running a network that smuggled tusks from more than 350 elephants.

The East African country’s elephant population shrank from 110,000 in 2009 to a little over 43,000 in 2014, according to a census released in June, with conservation groups blaming “industrial-scale” poaching.

There are far fewer rhinos and they are endangered. The four Chinese nationals, who were allegedly found in possession of 11 rhino horns, were arraigned in court in the southern Tanzanian town of Mbeya on Tuesday.

“The Chinese nationals were denied bail by the resident magistrate’s court and are being held in custody while the hearing of the case continues,” Mbeya regional police chief Ahmed Msangi said.

“They were charged with economic sabotage, which is a very serious criminal offence in Tanzania.” Rhino horn has been used for centuries in Chinese medicine, where it was ground into powder to treat a range of maladies including rheumatism, gout and even possession by devils.

The Elephant Action League, a U.S.-based conservation group, hailed the prosecution of the Chinese nationals, saying it marked another high profile arrest of poaching suspects in Tanzania.

“We must keep up the pressure and support those willing to confront this type of crime as the bad guys have gotten away with this for far too long,” Elephant Action League founder Andrea Crosta said in a statement.

A key Tanzanian poaching suspect known as “Shetani” or “The Devil” was arrested last month after a manhunt that lasted for more than a year. Tanzania’s new president, John Magufuli, has vowed to crack down on poaching as part of a wider war.