15th September 2013
Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism
Lazaro Nyalandu has said the ongoing campaign against poaching in
Tanzania has put his life at risk.
He said he was aware the campaign against poaching, a business involving affluent people, was ‘extremely dangerous’ to his life.
However, he told The Guardian on Sunday
here mid this week that he would not be deterred by the threat because
he was confident he was well protected.
But Nyalandu would neither give further information on the risk he faced nor give details of the kind of protection he had.
According to the minister, the trade in
rhino horns and elephants tusks was being conducted by a network of rich
people, including corrupt politicians, government leaders as well as
large scale businesspeople and foreigners.
“There will be no stone left unturned in
this war. No individual participating in the business will be spared as
elephants and rhinos face extinction,” he said.
Additionally, he said the government had
set aside enough funds to carry out the operation against the poachers,
hinting that the majority of them are Arabs and Chinese.
Nyalandu said there were two categories of
poachers. The first comprise those who use fire arms to kill big
numbers of elephants in various game reserves and national parks.
The government had increased the number of
security personnel to at least 4,060 who had so far impounded 1,700
firearms in the last three years, he explained.
A legislator for Singida South (CCM),
Nyalandu said the second category of poachers were businessmen who send
firearms to poachers in game areas, joined by groups of more
businessmen.
He described them as the biggest ‘sponsors’ of the illegal practices supported by unlawful politicians.
He said many people had developed a get
rich desire, adding that they were ready to use whatever means to get
there. This he further said increased market potential for the elephant
tusks and rhino horns.
He said: “We stand for the national
resources…this means saving the remaining 130,000 elephants up from a
former number of 350,000 in 2009.”
He declared to mount a campaign to include announcements through media organs within and outside the country against poaching.
Meanwhile, Nyalandun this week received 18
activists who walked from Arusha to Dar e Salaam to protest the rampant
killings of rhinos and elephants in the country’s game areas and
national parks.
SOURCE:
GUARDIAN ON SUNDAY
