A report in The Citizen says that senior officials have admitted that Tanzania's image abroad has suffered because of the continued seizure of large quantities of animal trophies abroad.

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He said Tanapa and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism alone cannot adequately protect the wildlife heritage under siege from poachers without collaborating with other law enforcement organs.

Statistics from the anti-poaching unit of the Wildlife division indicated that at least ten tonnes of ivory alleged to have originated from Tanzania was seized in the Far East last year alone.

Others are an assortment of about 70 species of live reptiles, including tortoises. They were found to have been illegally trafficked to the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and Korea among other countries.


Of concern is not just animals illegally taken in Tanzania but the number of animal parts being exported illegally through Tanzania from other, land locked countries. It highlights the problems the authorities are having with their customs departments apart from various other departments.

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He said while the loss of biodiversity through illegal human activities was a major concern in Africa, the multi-scale nature of the threats has been exacerbated by insufficient human capital and knowledge.


The article can be read here