Conservation officials confiscate mopane worms from harvesters

A GROUP of people, who went to harvest mopane worms (omagungu) near Etosha in the Oshikoto region, are furious after their catch was confiscated by conservation officials on Saturday.

The group was camping at the Onadhi salt pan in Onanke village near Etosha National Park.

Speaking to The Namibian on Monday, Lovisa Namwandi from Omuthiya said she went to collect worms outside the Etosha fence on Friday. She said she was about 2 000 metres away from the Etosha fence but was asked to surrender her bucket of worms.

Namwandi added that she had harvested a few worms that day for consumption and they were also taken.

“On Saturday, I went to collect worms but not close to Etosha. At around 15h00, a conservation officer called us and told us to take our buckets to her inside Etosha, which we did,” she said.

“I am not denying that there were people collecting worms inside Etosha, but why confiscate our worms if we did not enter the park?” Namwandi said.

She added that she was hurt as she used a lot of petrol and went home empty-handed.

Another collector, Albertina Shipanga from Onanke village in the Oshikoto region, said she went to camp in the area on Thursday evening and started harvesting on Friday.

“I was collecting my worms outside Etosha and on Friday at 15h00 conservation officials told us to surrender our worms. Both those outside and those inside Etosha,” she said.

Shipanga said the worms have been dumped at Onanke Police Station.

“There were people from Omusati, Ohangwena and Oshana regions,” Shipanga said.

Shipanga said those who were inside the park were wrong, but those who were outside were supposed to be allowed to go with their worms.

Angula Nuunyango said she started collecting worms from Ekanghonde cattle post on Thursday and moved to the Onadhi salt pan on Friday after hearing that there were more worms.

She said she was outside Etosha pan but was forced to give away her bucket of worms to the officers.

“I left my mahangu field in search of food to sustain my family, but to go back with nothing is very heartbreaking. I used money to travel. My 50 kilograms of worms are gone. I lost so much,” she said.

Contacted for comment, ministry of environment and tourism spokesperson Romeo Muyunda said the public was warned not to enter Etosha National Park to collect mopane worms.

“No permits will be issued for people to harvest worms inside Etosha. We are protecting the biodiversity and everything inside the park,” Muyunda said.

He said all organisms are important to one another and nothing must be removed.

“The officials did well by confiscating those worms. They have to dispose of them using the prescribed measures,” he said.

“Etosha is under strict security control. We are cautioning those people who are intending to harvest worms that they must not get close to the fence,” Muyunda said.

Muyunda said anyone found close or inside the fence will be charged with trespassing.

He said it is true that the park’s fence is down but the boundary is visible and “people must not enter. “You must acquire permission first,” he said.

The spokesperson said the rehabilitation of the fence is in progress and conservation officials are on patrol to make sure that wild animals do not get out.