All poaching is a concern - Shifeta
Environment minister Pohamba Shifeta says while the numbers of elephant and rhino poached in Namibia have declined, other poaching is on the increase.
While the poaching of rhino and elephants has declined, the environment ministry is concerned about increasing poaching of other animals.
“Poaching of other animals has gone up at an alarming rate,” said the environment and tourism minister, Pohamba Shifeta.
He said Namibia’s population of all wild animals has grown significantly, but this has also enticed people to poach more.
“Poaching has always been there and now with the animal population growing, people are taking more chances.”
However, Shifeta added that the problem is not as bad as it was before independence when some species were nearly extinct.
He added that not even private farms are escaping poaching. “There has also been an increase of poaching on private farms, because there is a demand for meat.”
He added that the ministry was coordinating with farm owners as well as butcheries to address the problem. Butcheries must be aware that when they buy meat from someone that the person must have the relevant permit to carry that product and a permit to sell it, said Shifeta.
He said that farm owners should screen their employees because in most cases, it is employees who are involved in poaching on farms.
“A person who kills game can just as easily go after your cattle. What they do is camp inside the farm where they kill the animal and then dry the meat before they sell it.”
Shifeta said the ministry was collaborating with vendors selling this meat in an effort to track down culprits.
“We are not harassing them, we just want to find the culprits behind this.”
He also said the poaching of pangolin was of concern in Namibia.
“The pangolin has now become critically endangered and because the animals have become extinct in other countries, poachers are coming here to capture and export pangolin.”
He added that although the pangolin population was not currently worrisome, the problem needed to be addressed.
He also added that the current outbreak of anthrax in the Bwabwata National Park affecting the hippo population is not currently a cause for concern.
Shifeta said that the ministry is more concerned about the spread of anthrax as the hippo population is very healthy and they can become territorial if they population becomes too high in one area.
There have been no reports of human’s contracting the disease, he said.
The ministry and the police are cooperating in a project to collaborate their statistics with regards to all wildlife crime. Preference is given to elephants and rhino after which all other crimes relating to other wild animals and game will be looked into.
This is an effort to provide more reliable statistics on all wildlife crime.
ELLANIE SMIT
“Poaching of other animals has gone up at an alarming rate,” said the environment and tourism minister, Pohamba Shifeta.
He said Namibia’s population of all wild animals has grown significantly, but this has also enticed people to poach more.
“Poaching has always been there and now with the animal population growing, people are taking more chances.”
However, Shifeta added that the problem is not as bad as it was before independence when some species were nearly extinct.
He added that not even private farms are escaping poaching. “There has also been an increase of poaching on private farms, because there is a demand for meat.”
He added that the ministry was coordinating with farm owners as well as butcheries to address the problem. Butcheries must be aware that when they buy meat from someone that the person must have the relevant permit to carry that product and a permit to sell it, said Shifeta.
He said that farm owners should screen their employees because in most cases, it is employees who are involved in poaching on farms.
“A person who kills game can just as easily go after your cattle. What they do is camp inside the farm where they kill the animal and then dry the meat before they sell it.”
Shifeta said the ministry was collaborating with vendors selling this meat in an effort to track down culprits.
“We are not harassing them, we just want to find the culprits behind this.”
He also said the poaching of pangolin was of concern in Namibia.
“The pangolin has now become critically endangered and because the animals have become extinct in other countries, poachers are coming here to capture and export pangolin.”
He added that although the pangolin population was not currently worrisome, the problem needed to be addressed.
He also added that the current outbreak of anthrax in the Bwabwata National Park affecting the hippo population is not currently a cause for concern.
Shifeta said that the ministry is more concerned about the spread of anthrax as the hippo population is very healthy and they can become territorial if they population becomes too high in one area.
There have been no reports of human’s contracting the disease, he said.
The ministry and the police are cooperating in a project to collaborate their statistics with regards to all wildlife crime. Preference is given to elephants and rhino after which all other crimes relating to other wild animals and game will be looked into.
This is an effort to provide more reliable statistics on all wildlife crime.
ELLANIE SMIT
Comments
Namibian Sun
No comments have been left on this article