By ADAM IHUCHA -- There has been a
"catastrophic fall" in the number of lions in the
wildlife-rich-Tanzania in the last decade, thanks to retaliatory killings.
A
recent survey indicates that Tarangire-Manyara
ecosystem, a country key lion’s refuge, has been losing an average of 25 lions
annually in the period under review.
Findings
by the Tarangire Lion Project show a total of 226 lions have been slaughtered between
2004-2013 in retaliation for marauding livestock.
Dr. Bernard Kissui, a leading lion
researcher warned that the entire big cats population could disappear and hurt a $1.9 billion
tourism industry, if affirmative actions are not taken.
Lion is one of the Africa’s big five
animals in which Tanzania as any other African countries with abundant wildlife has been using
them as a major tourism marketing tool to attract tens of thousands of eager
tourists each year.
Others are elephants, rhinos, leopards and
buffalos.
“Retaliatory killing of lions is a
silent, but real threat to Lion populations in the Tarangire – Manyara
eco-system where incidences of spearing and poisoning of lions by livestock
keepers have been recorded,” Dr. Kissui says.
Poisoning, a totally
indiscriminate practice, using Furadan; an agro chemical developed in the USA
but banned under pressure of conservationists, is now manufactured in China and
finds its way to Tanzania.
Experts say it
affects the central nervous system and results in a horrible excruciatingly
painful death.
The worst lion’s
mass killing was in 2009 where over 26
lions slaughtered by angry-villagers, near Tarangire National Park in western
Arusha, shaking Tanzania’s reputation as one of the remaining World
lion’s strongholds.
Official estimates show that there
are between 15,000-16,000 lions surviving mostly in national parks and game
reserves with a smaller population in unprotected areas.
This is the largest population in
Africa and about 40 percent of the total population of remaining lions in the
world.
Kishimay Ndalepoi,
one of the Maasai villagers says that lion is considered as a great enemy in
Maasai community so wherever they spot it, killing is the only available
option.
“Wherever the Maasai encounter lion,
the only thing which comes up in his or her mind is to kill it because for
them, lion is an enemy which can kill human beings or livestock,” Mr Ndalepoi
says.
Tanzania Association of Tour
Operators (TATO) Council member, Peter Lindstrom suggests the state should stop habitat loss and protect migration
corridors and wildlife dispersal areas outside protected areas.
He was of the view that the state needs
to reform policies to devolve management and benefits from wildlife to trick
down to community household.
“We need to encourage community based
tourism and investment in area outside game parks and protected areas by
allowing communities to be amply rewarded for protecting Lion and other
wildlife by receiving tangible and realistic financial rewards for doing so” Mr
Lindstrom noted.
Available record shows that the
entire Tarangire-Manyara ecosystem faces a massive declining of
wildlife populations, due to an intolerable growth of
human population, coupled with ever increasing demand for land uses that is not
compatible with conservation interests.
Various studies indicate that
there has been a constant increase of unsustainable
exploitation of natural resources and land uses such as
cultivation, overgrazing, charcoal burning and settlements within the wildlife
routes and corridors, flaring human-wildlife conflicts.
Conservationists argue that
such detrimental impacts of human activities have since
been felt on core areas as well as foraging grounds, breeding sites, dispersal
areas, wildlife migratory routes and corridors.
The consequence of
this, experts say in a study, is a growing threat of land
degradation and fragmentation, which slowly, but surely, putting
Tarangire-Manyara ecosystem at a risk of becoming an
ecological island.
By implications in a long run, entire ecosystem will see a massive declining of wildlife populations, genetic erosion and species extinction.
In additional, the security of the resident animals in fragmented habitats becomes uncertain because once squeezed into small patches, animals can not be easily escape from their enemies like predators and human influence.
By implications in a long run, entire ecosystem will see a massive declining of wildlife populations, genetic erosion and species extinction.
In additional, the security of the resident animals in fragmented habitats becomes uncertain because once squeezed into small patches, animals can not be easily escape from their enemies like predators and human influence.
Since no wildlife protected
area throughout of the world which
can be self contained ecological unit, therefore the core
areas which link Tarangire National park with other wildlife protected areas
and habitats should be remained intact for the park to
maintain its reputation as an important biodiversity hot spot.
Deogratius Gamassa, a renowned-conservationist and the former Principal for African Wildlife Management College-Mweka, is on record as saying the eviction of the people within the Tarangire-Manyara ecosystem and the two parks expansion were two possible options.
Deogratius Gamassa, a renowned-conservationist and the former Principal for African Wildlife Management College-Mweka, is on record as saying the eviction of the people within the Tarangire-Manyara ecosystem and the two parks expansion were two possible options.
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