TANZANIA: Wildlife Wreckers On Firing Line

THE government is in the final stages of establishing a special task force to fight environment degradation and wildlife crimes, especially poaching, now on the increase in the country.

Moreover, rangers and wardens from the national park intelligence units managed in the recent operation to apprehend suspected killers of the British helicopter pilot, Roger Gower, in Maswa Game Reserve will be tried in martial courts.

The Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Professor Jumanne Maghembe, said the special task force would comprise officers from different departments in his ministry, including the Tanzania Wildlife Authority (TAWA), Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA), Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA) and Tanzania Forest Service Agency (TSF).

He did not, however, say when the special taskforce will start operating, but stressed this will be different from other operations such as ‘Tokomeza.’

Prof Maghembe said the task force will work closely with the Tanzania Intelligence and Security Services (TISS), criminal justice system, Tanzania Ports Authority (TPA), Tanzania Airport Authority (TAA), Tanzania Revenue Authority (TRA), local and international conservation organizations and other stakeholders.

“The task force will be responsible with coordinating efforts and resources as well as follow up on taskforce groups established in eight zones, targeting individuals and networks that control illegal trade in elephants tusks, timber and logs”, the minister explained.

According to Prof Maghembe, the government is changing the working system for game wardens from civilian to paramilitary system and bringing back forest rangers who will be trained in handling weapons to curb illegal harvesting of trees for timber and logs in the country’s forests.

On Monday, Simiyu Regional Police Commander Lazaro Mambosasa said nine other people have been arrested in connection with the recent killing of the British pilot, including the person believed to have fired the fatal shot at the helicopter, Dotto Pangali (41). The suspects were caught with three elephant tusks and 29 guns following a massive manhunt by the police.

According to the Simiyu PRC, Pangali admitted taking part in the crime and that he is the one who shot down the helicopter using a rifle with registration number 7209460 CAR NA 63229 owned by Mange Balum, who is also in custody.

Others arrested include Shija Mjika (38), Masasi Mandogo (48), Njile Gonga (28), Iddi Mashaka (49), Mwigulu Kanga (40), Mapolu Njige (50), Dotto Huya (45) and Mange Balum (47).

The minister expressed gratitude to all those who contributed to the success of the operation, including the security forces, officers from his ministry and Home Affairs Ministry, Friedkin Conservation Fund officials Mr Dan Friedkin and Mr Pratik Patel and other stakeholders.

Gower was fatally shot by poachers while piloting a helicopter during a coordinated effort with the country’s wildlife authorities to track down and arrest active elephant killers at the Maswa Game Reserve in Simiyu Region.

Following the heinous crime, President John Magufuli ordered the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism to ensure that the perpetrators of the crime are caught in the shortest time possible and prosecuted.

TANZANIA: Two Anti-poaching Planes Land In Serengeti

TWO new special surveillance aircrafts set to be deployed for aerial patrols over Serengeti National Park and Selous Game Reserve have landed in Tanzania.

Valued at nearly 1.2bn/- the two ‘Aviat Aircraft Husky A-IC’ planes have been donated by Germany in its ongoing support to the local war against poaching and other forms of wildlife destruction.

Handing over one of the planes to the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Professor Jumanne Maghembe, the Ambassador of Germany to Tanzania, Mr Egon Konchake, said his country was taking conservation efforts extremely seriously and that is why they are assisting Tanzania in its war against poaching.

“Overall, we have invested over 500 million Euros in the global natural resources and wildlife conservation efforts,” explained the envoy, adding that they have special mutual connection with the Serengeti National Park that German conservator and zoologist, the late Bernhard Grzimek, had helped to establish.

Speaking during the event Prof Maghembe said German had also granted Tanzania over 32 million Euros, equivalent to 80bn/-, for the next five years to aid in conservation efforts.

The funds will cover the establishment of the Tanzania Wildlife Authority (TAWA) Research, anti-poaching efforts and the setting up of a game ranger squad.

The Director General of the Tanzania National Park (TANAPA), Dr Allan Kijazi, said the manning of Serengeti National Park, measuring 14,700 square kilometres, was almost impossible by using vehicles and that planes were the only solution.

The two planes, each to be manned by two personnel, are specifically made for low-flying aerial patrol and will be dispatched to Selous, which is the largest game reserve on the continent and to Serengeti, the country’s second largest national park.

“The aircrafts had been transported here in parts and assembled in Nairobi,” explained Dr Kijazi, adding that each of the reconnaissance planes is valued at US $ 250,000.

The total donation is 1.2bn/- Tanzania has a total of 16 national parks, 29 game reserves and one (Ngorongoro) conservation area authority.

The country has thus dedicated more than 35 per cent of its total geographical area to conservation purposes.

TANZANIA: More Wild Dog Packs Released Into Serengeti

A TOTAL of 17 new wild dogs have just been released in the Serengeti plains, bringing the number of the endangered carnivorous species in the country’s second largest National Park to nearly 325 and counting.

The Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Prof Jumanne Maghembe officially opened the gates of the sanctuary in which the wild dogs were being confined under special care to allow the ferocious animals to begin their free roaming in the 14,763 square kilometres making up the vast Serengeti plains.

That was the last in the series of six packs releases from the Serengeti Wild Dog Conservation Project aimed at replenishing the National Park with its own indigenous species of the endangered animals.

They were initially captured from Loliondo hills, where the dogs were constantly in conflicts with pastoralists. Wild dogs apparently love to tear goats and sheep apart for their meals and this has earned them a coveted top spot in the livestock keepers’ hate list.

Cases of poisoned or speared carnivores in areas like Loliondo Division of Ngorongoro and parts of Monduli District have been common.

“The dogs were going extinct from the early 90s,” pointed out the tourism minister, adding that since the species of African Wild Dogs were facing demise all over the world, it is upon Tanzania to ensure that the carnivores were protected.

Director General for Tanzania National Parks, Dr Allan Kijazi described the latest wild dog pack as gypsy have at one time travelled from Loliondo, through Maasai-Mara all the way to Tsavo before crossing back to Tanzania ending up in Korogwe, then making return trip to Loliondo.

Previously five other wild dog packs had been released from the Conservation Project and these included the ‘Kikwete Pack,’ ‘Vodacom Pack,’ ‘Serengeti Park,’ ‘Loliondo Pack,’ and Nyasiruri Pack all containing nearly 125 wild-dogs between them.

All packs have some wild dogs that are fitted with GPS devices that help conservators and researchers to track their movements.

But the entire Serengeti Eco-system which also encompasses the (former) Loliondo Game Controlled Area, Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA), Maswa Game Reserve and Kenya’s Maasai Mara is reported to have 27 packs of wild dogs with about 325 individuals in-between.

The latest (6th) Wild Dog pack, released from the project was named after Prof Markus Borneran an expert in Genetics and Evolutionary Biology from the University of Glasgow, who has been researching on the carnivores within the Serengeti eco-system.

The Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (Tawiri) has been implementing the project with support from the State House, Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS), Grumeti Fund (GF), Vodacom Foundation, The University of Glasgow, Tanzania National Parks (Tanapa), Tanzania Wildlife Authority, and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority.

Emmanuel Masenga and Joseph Kaboya who have been working at the project in Serengeti revealed that Tanzania was among the only seven countries of Africa that still have wild dogs, others being Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Lesotho, Botswana and South Africa.

TANZANIA: TANAPA Deploys Surveillance Aircraft In Serengeti National Park

German Ambassador to Tanzania handed over a surveillance aircraft to the Tanzanian Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism which was donated a few months ago during an official visit of the German Foreign Minister to the country. The Husky aircraft will be operated by the Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) for surveillance of the Serengeti National Park to support TANAPA’s fight against poaching.

'We are seeing the large mammals of our protected areas under a severe threat of local extinction because of poaching' said the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Prof. Jumanne Maghembe on the occasion of the handover in Seronera. He thanked the German government for the support in countering the recent upsurge in poaching.

'Stringent law enforcement, community involvement and ecosystem management are key in the fight against poaching', said the German Ambassador Mr. Egon Kochanke before adding: 'I am very proud to be able to hand this aircraft over to the Tanzanian authorities and FZS. This is an important cornerstone of our close and longstanding cooperation'.

It is the Frankfurt Zoological Society which will operate the aircraft in close cooperation with the Serengeti National Park Authority. With aerial support, poacher camps and illegal activities can be detected and the pilots can provide critical information to reaction forces on the ground.

Tanzanian wildlife authorities are faced with a dramatic upsurge of poaching threatening the country’s populations of elephants and rhinos. To counter this threat and to support wildlife and habitat monitoring, the German Government through the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) has provided funding for the acquisition of overall three aircraft.

The other two Husky A-1C Aircraft will be deployed in the Tanzanian Selous Game Reserve, one of the hardest hit areas by elephant poaching gangs and the Zambian North Luangwa National Park. The Husky is well suited for monitoring and anti-poaching surveys as it operates at low heights and slow speeds.

This support is part of longer-term financial and technical development cooperation measures implemented by FZS, GIZ, KfW, in collaboration with Tanzania Wildlife Authority TAWA, Tanzania National Parks TANAPA, and the Zambian Department of National Parks and Wildlife DNPW.