Tourism investors lead the way: Program relocates 9,360 snares from Serengeti

wildebeest
wildebeest

Over 9,360 snares have been removed and dispatched from Tanzania’s flagship national park of Serengeti to Arusha, thanks to a unique anti-poaching program.

The de-snaring program’s key objective is to fight against the rampant snares set by local bush meat mongers to catch massive wildlife within the Serengeti national park.

Tourism investors, led by the Chairman of the Tanzania Association of Tour Operators (TATO), Willy Chambulo, along with the Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS), Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA), and other stakeholders, are pioneering the de-snaring program in Serengeti to suppress the new fatal poaching method.

Funded by tourism investors in Serengeti as part of their contribution in a conservation drive, the de-snaring program has transformed the conservation landscape within the leading park and become a role model.

“In just a year, the de-snaring program has removed and relocated a total of 9,361 snares from Serengeti to Arusha Steel Centre where they would be melted,” Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) Project Manager, Mr. Erik Winberg, told eTurboNews in Arusha.

According to Mr. Winberg, so far, the program has successfully managed to rescue 100-plus wildlife from the deadly snares. Without the program, the helpless animals would have been killed.

FZS records indicate that the deadly snares have been responsible for the gruesome death of nearly 320 wildlife within a year in Serengeti alone.

Willy Chambulo, the brainchild of the program who single handedly contributed a total of $80,000 towards the anti-poaching program, implored other investors to see the need to contribute in conservation of the wildlife through which they make millions of dollars.

“Wildlife are killed massively in Serengeti where we take our dearest tourists, but investors seem to be doing nothing to stop this. It is a shame to them,” Mr. Chambulo noted.

According to De-snaring program Coordinator, Ms. Vesna Glamocanin Tibaijuka, the de-snaring initiative can mitigate huge losses of migrants and also give TANAPA rangers space to apprehend poachers.

“As funding for the project will come from voluntary donations based on a bed night fee for hoteliers and camp operators this is an appeal to all those interested to come on board with this program which will be of huge benefit to all stakeholders in tourism” Ms. Tibaijuka explained.

TATO CEO, Mr. Sirili Akko said Serengeti wildlife population is facing yet another deadly threat as local people are silently using snare to catch massive wildlife.

Snare is a small-scale poaching method targeting wildlife species for bush meat, including the abundant wildebeest.

Deadly traps in use, however, catch many other wild animals mostly elephants and predators waylaying the wildebeest.

About the author

Avatar of Adam Ihucha - eTN Tanzania

Adam Ihucha - eTN Tanzania

Share to...