Police nabs two refugees with 25 jumbo tusks worth 148.5m/-

In efforts to fight poaching in the country, the Police Force has arrested two refugees with 25 elephant tusks weighing 42 kilogrammes worth about 148.5m/-.

 

Ndaisaba  Masoud (35) and Samson Fred (25) were yesterday at Uruwira village in the region, the Katavi Regional Police Commander, Dhahiri Kidavashari, told journalists.

 

He said both were Burundi nationals but lived at Mlele camp in the region. The RPC said they were arrested while travelling by AM Coach with registration no T 740AQD from Katavi to Mwanza.

He said the two had boarded the bus with three big bags, something that made the police suspicious.

 

 “We were very suspicious with the size of the bags and hence decided to open them. After a search we found the 25 pieces of tusks and decided to take the suspects to Katavi police headquarters where we are still interrogating them. They will be sent to  court at any time,” he said.

 

In October last year, the ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism launched a five-year national strategy to combat poaching and illegal wildlife trade.

 

The strategy, which required USD 51 million (88.66bn/-), was geared at boosting the capacity of the ministry. This is especially in conducting intelligence-led anti-poaching activities, highly coordinated law enforcement and  improvement of rural livelihoods.

 

The latter was to be undertaken through enhanced community-based management of natural resources, among other strategies.

 

It was expected that this would also raise awareness in supply, transit and destination countries to help change attitudes towards wildlife crimes and build international support.

 

Launching the strategy at the time, the minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Lazaro Nyalandu, said the government formulated the strategy in order to intensify the war against poaching and all forms of wildlife related crimes. 

The strategy was formulated in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

 

According to Nyalandu, it provided an effective programme of support to combat poaching and illegal wildlife trafficking in Tanzania through a three-pronged approach that includes:

Strengthening law enforcement through investing in capacity building, establishing and maintaining national cross agency mechanisms.

 

Other strategies were streamlining cross border and regional cooperation through better coordination and boosting the capacity of local communities to pursue sustainable livelihood opportunities.

 

Yet others were eradicating poverty, raising awareness in supply and transit as well as destination countries to help change attitudes towards wildlife crime and building international support.

 

“The government considers this strategy as a fully fledged instrument that can reinforce the war against illegal wildlife trade and poaching which feeds it,” he stressed.