The killing of two rhinos irks Serengeti MP

A Member of Parliament for Serengeti constituency has described the recent killing of the two rhinos by unknown illegal poachers which occurred in his constituency bordering Serengeti National Park as an act of economic sabotage. Hon. Dr. Kebwe Steven Kebwe told a press conference yesterday in Dar es Salaam that, killers of these animals might have had got an easy access to the national park and managed to reach at the special integrated project zone area within the park known as ‘ MORU’ where the animals had been preserved. However, he has described the incident as a serious reversal of the progress that Tanzania was making to raise the mammal’s population, while citing lack of effective and tight security of the area is the cause behind the malpractice. Hon Kebwe has also urged the government through the ministry of Tourism to add extra security personnel claiming that, the current number of game rangers at the national park of 461 is not enough to carry on their security duties which he says is confined within an area of 14,000 square kilometers that surrounds MORU project zone. According to his preliminary investigations, he has noticed closely there is lack of protection at the area an aspect that the government must increase efforts to guard the rhinos and if possible it should double the number of game rangers who have been stationed for security purposes in the area. In his opinion, the killing of the rhino was “indiscriminate” considering efforts being made by the Tanzanian authorities and other parties to boost the population of the endangered animal by bringing more rhinos to Serengeti, their ancestral home.

But despite of efforts shown by the government, he is amazed to see that no one up to now is being held by the law enforcers to streamline the law on its course in connection with the brutal slaughter of a critically endangered two black rhinos. However, an MP has also cautioned the government to look at the living standard conditions of the game rangers at the national park. He says that, they conduct a miserable and pathetic life due to low salary given to them. He cited lack of proper housing facilities and the workers’ location which is far from their working point, is another exacerbating factor that could likely drive the minds of some of them into loosing trust and do mischief that could harm their employers’ properties. In order to intensify security within the parks’ area, he has suggested the government should undertake effective modern security measures like those used in other national parks found in South Africa though it’s very costly, but is helpful to save the rhino species. One area he suggested is by using small airplanes flying over which could be an easy way of getting rid of culprits who could be viewed from above. This is the second time of the indiscriminate killing of the rhinos to have occurred at Serengeti national park. In 2011, there was a brutal killing of one Rhino nicknamed ‘George’ was one of the five eastern black rhinos brought fom South Africa to Serengeti where they were received by President Jakaya Kikwete. Tanzania faces the danger of being engulfed in illegal hunting activities, which currently threaten the survival of rare wildlife species that are the main magnet of its multi-million dollar tourism industry, according to the recent study report of experts in wildlife studies. The report comes about in the wake of the killing of a black rhino that was relocated in Serengeti National Park from South Africa, officials of the Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) have “This is a terrible setback for the project and an alarming incident as it could mean that the poaching wave that currently rocks South Africa is beginning to spill over to Tanzania,” lamented Dr Mark Borner, head of FZS Africa department. This is a joint project undertaken by the ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Tanzania National Parks (Tanapa), Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (Tawiri), South African National Parks (SANParks) and the Grumeti Fund. FZS, which has its East Africa regional head office located within the park, is the facilitating partner in the project. The society provides technical expertise, security preparations, logistics and post-release monitoring of the rhinos.