Campaign against wildlife poaching launched

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Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Lazaro Nyalandu

 An awareness campaign against wildlife poaching in Tanzania has been launched by the government in collaboration with WildAid, African Wildlife Foundation, local and international celebrities as well as religious leaders.

 

Called the Wildlife Pride Campaign to fight against poaching in the country, it will involve local celebrities like former Miss Tanzania Jacqueline Mengi, artists Ali Kiba, Vanessa Mdee and  former NBA player Hasheem Thabeet.

 

They will be joined by international celebrities such as Jackie Chan, Yao Ming, Edward Norton, Prince William and David Beckham.

 

During the campaign all of them will deliver anti-poaching messages in print and electronic media, billboards and videos in public spaces. The aim is for the campaign to reach as many people as possible, including those in rural areas.

 

At the official launch of the campaign in Dar es Salaam yesterday, the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Lazaro Nyalandu, said the government alone cannot manage to stop poaching and wildlife trafficking without involving various people and institutions.

 

He said it will do everything to ensure that the country’s heritage is preserved by developing all systems and preparing short as well as long term strategies.

 

Said he: “Our elephants have been a great asset to this country in many ways and the government is determined to stop their slaughter. But we cannot do this alone; so we want to enlist the assistance of all citizens in putting a stop to the theft of our national heritage. 

 

“We believe that efforts of  religious leaders, envoys, celebrities and international organisations in  the fight against poaching in this country will bring it to an end,  I also commend  the government of China for stopping the trade in ivory products as one way of minimizing  the problem.”

 

He further said that through the cooperation, people will get the message and understand the impact of killing elephants and wildlife trafficking.

 

He told religious leaders that they have opportunities  to educate worshipers while celebrities will convey messages in line with their positions.

 

Speaking during the function, the US Ambassador to Tanzania, Mark Childress, said the problem of poaching in Tanzania and other African countries is caused by conflicting information on the importance of wildlife.

 

He added that in combating poaching it was important that its symptoms and causes must be addressed.

 

The Wildlife Campaign Ambassador, who is also the former Miss Tanzania, Jacqueline Mengi, said she was happy to be among anti-poaching ambassadors.

 

She said as a group they will ensure that the country’s heritage is protected, noting: “When preparing this campaign I visited an elephant orphanage centre in Nairobi. It was  sad to see how baby elephants  were suffering as a result of losing their ‘parents’ as a result of poaching. These  animals  have the right to live and  not being killed ”

 

Jacqueline promised to sponsor the campaign adverts through IPP Media outlets as her contribution to the anti-poaching campaign in the country. 

 

She called upon Tanzanians to convey the anti-poaching message in order to safeguard the country’s heritage.

 

African Inland Church Bishop Charles Salala said in its efforts to curb poaching the government should prepare long term strategies to teach the future generation about the importance of wildlife for the country’s development.

 

“Children should be taught the subject from nursery schools to make them love wildlife. This will help  in ending  poaching  incidences as a short term strategy like  the current one involving  various people”, Bishop Salala said.

 

The Sheikh of Dar es Salaam Region, Alhad Mussa Salum, noted: “We don’t always agree on everything, but we all agree that poaching and smuggling ivory are completely wrong and we join the government in this fight.” 

 

Africa Wildlife Foundation Chief Executive Officer, Dr Patrick Bergin, said Tanzania had lost 60 per cent of its elephants in the past six years, mainly because of poaching for ivory. 

 

“The bad thing is that very big profits from this illegal activity are made in China and other countries while Tanzanians are left to bear the cost,” he lamented.

 

Commented WildAid Chief Executive Officer Peter Knights: “The poaching of elephants is literally theft from all Tanzanians and future generations.” He advised all media houses to participate in the campaign as the assistance of everyone is needed in efforts to get rid of it.