Kenya ivory detection dogs make four busts in one week

Ivory detection dogs at Kenya's Jomo kenyatta International Airport have made four ivory busts in one week. In each case the ivory was in the luggage of passengers travelling to China. At least two of those arrested were transiting from Ghana and Mozambique, so the ivory could have come from much further afield.

Most of the ivory had already been worked into necklaces, bangles and various other trinkets. This is an increasingly common occurrence, given the number of Chinese now working in Africa.

The dogs and their handlers graduated from the AWF Conservation Canine program in July, after two months intensive training. Other teams from Tanzania have been similarly trained and deployed to Julius Nyerere Airport and the Port of Dar es Salaam.

Kenyan Teams have been deployed to Nairobi and Mombasa airports.

We need more dogs as they can make such a huge contribution to the fight against poaching.

HONG KONG ANNOUNCES IVORY TRADE BAN

 Hong Kong’s Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying in his annual policy address announced that Hong Kong will be joining with China in introducing a ban on ivory trading.

Hong Kong Chief Executive Leung Chun-ying said “The Government is very concerned about the illegal poaching of elephants in Africa. It will kick start legislative procedures as soon as possible to ban the import and export of elephant hunting trophies and actively explore other appropriate measures, such as enacting legislation to further ban the import and export of ivory and phase out the local ivory trade, and imposing heavier penalties on smuggling and illegal trading of endangered species. Meanwhile, the Government will strengthen enforcement and take rigorous action against the smuggling and illegal trade in ivory.”

A timeline has not been published but it should at least depress the price of ivory further and discourage poaching even more.

The other worry is that speculators will switch from ivory to rhino horn, especially if South Africa ever gets a legalised market going. This is the last thing the rhino needs.

Rhino poaching on the increase in Zimbabwe

A further large increase in rhino poaching in Zimbabwe in 2015 saw at least 50 rhino poached, more than double the figure lost the previous year, a conservation group, the Lowveld rhino trust has reported.

They said at least 42 of them were black rhinos, which are by far the rarest of Africa's two species.

There are reckoned to be just over 750 rhinos in Zimbabwe.

Eighty rhinos poached in Namibia in 2015

Four more rhino carcasses were found at Grootberg Lodge in Kunene region in late December last
year.

This discovery brought Namibia's rhino poaching toll last year to 80, according to figures
released by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism.

Namibia has experienced a sharp increase in cases of rhino poaching over the past five years
with only one rhinoceros poached in 2009, one in 2010 and one in 2011. Two were killed in 2012,
four in 2013, and 25 in 2014.

Most of the Rhinos were poached in Etosha National Park.

Namibia is a very important stronghold for the Black rhinoceros.

Tanzania Deputy Minister for Natural Resources suspends operations to remove herders from protected areas

Dar es Salaam — A recent directive by the Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Mr
Ramo Makani, to suspend operations to remove cattle from various game and forestry protected
areas in the country has caused sharp reactions from conservationists.

One person said "It is a stab of a knife in the back of conservation in the whole wildlife conservation range globally. One is not sure if the minister has not opened a can of worms,".

The new President John Magufuli has recently appointed Prof Jumanne Maghembe as new Minister
for NaturalResources and Tourism, and conservationists are hopeful that he will use his experience,
integrity and wisdom to revoke the directive as soon as possible.

Wildlife is one of Tanzania's biggest assets.  Most of the countries tourism is  wildlife based and it contributes up to 17 per cent of Tanzania's GDP, which is more than any sector and is planned to increase.

Herders who invade game reserves often use poison to kill animals such as lions which pose a threat to their cattle. Their animals also massively degrade the environment. Poachers will also use this as a golden opportunity to kill more wildlife.

I wonder if the Deputy Minister has read the the Wildlife Conservation Act (WCA) No. 5 of 2009 
that states that any person shall not graze any livestock in a game reserve or wetland reserve?

I have to ask why such an idiot is given a job like this. I could do a damn sight better.