Government promises zero tolerance on poaching

NEWLY appointed minister of environment and tourism Pohamba Shifeta will implement a zero-tolerance approach in dealing with the escalation of poaching in Namibia.

He made the pledge during the ministry’s first meeting for the year with staff members and line State-owned enterprises (SOEs). During the meeting, the new deputy minister of environment, Tommy Nambahu was also introduced to the staff.

“During my tenure, I will apply and implement the zero-tolerance approach in dealing with this threat, and prioritise the reduction and ultimately, the elimination of poaching. We must urgently establish and operationalise our dedicated anti-poaching department. We must go out of our way to mobilise adequate resources to address this threat, as we cannot allow poaching to escalate in this country,” he noted.

On Friday an elephant was found dead at the Muit’jiku village in the Bwabwata West National Park in the Kavango East region’s Mukwe constituency. It is alleged that the carcass was found with the tusks intact as the poachers allegedly fled the scene.

In another incident, five rhino carcasses were discovered about two weeks ago during a rhino dehorning exercise in the Kunene region. Local media reported that four of these rhinos were already shot sometime last year. The carcasses were found in the area of Omatendeka.

New reports also suggested that rhino poaching is taking place in the Etosha National Park, but the ministry could not confirm the cases. A total of 116 elephant and 10 rhino have been poached in Namibia since 2012.

Shifeta called for strengthening cooperation with relevant partners including the army, police, communities, and the media.

In a message to the wardens, Shifeta said he will rotate “too comfortable and complacent” staff members in order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of patrols, especially cases where there are repeated incidents of poaching.

“For these reasons, I will ensure that the anti-poaching department is modelled on the mobility of staff and that it is proactive and aggressive to drive poaching out of Namibia in order for the honeymoon of poachers to be stopped,” he added.

– Nampa