Friday, March 29, 2024

Sinkamba appeals to Catholics countrywide to stop PF from culling 2000 hippos

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Umlilo Safaris advertisement for Hippo Hunting
Umlilo Safaris advertisement for Hippo Hunting

Green Party President Peter Sinkamba has made a passionate appeal to Catholics countrywide to strongly speak out and reject the PF Government’s decision to allow a South African safari company to come and kill 2000 hippos on false allegation of sustainable management wildlife than. Mr. Sinkamba has said culling of wildlife is not an option but a primitive conservation strategy which is driven by greed by a few people in Government.

“I am a Catholic. Our Pope, I mean Pope Francis has repeatedly reminded us that destroying the environment is a sin. The proposed culling of 2000 hippos by the PF Government is utterly destruction of environmental resources. It is not only a primitive wildlife conservation strategy but a sin as well,” Mr. Sinkamba said.

“I am hereby appealing to Archbishop Alick Banda, and all catholic priest countrywide to join in and stop this sin which is about to be committed by the PF Government. It will be an extreme act of irresponsibility by the Catholic Church in Zambia to turn a blind eye to the well-known sin which is about to be committed by the PF Government. Actually, it will not only be betrayal of the Pope but a sin as well,” he said.

“I hope from the coming Sunday going forward, the Holy Fathers countrywide will speak about this sin in their homilies,” he added.

Mr. Sinkamba has since 2016 strongly opposed government’s plan to proceed to cull up to 2,000 hippos in the Luangwa Valley, allegedly for overpopulation and threat of anthrax outbreak. The Green Party leader said Zambia needs to learn from other countries such as Kenya and Tanzania on what to do to wildlife when confronted with overpopulation and drought conditions.

“Culling of wildlife Relocation of entrapped animals is one such modern conservation tool. What is more appalling is that the Luangwa Valley is not overpopulated as they claim. The hippo population in that conservation area has dwindled by about 14-20% in the last 20 years motivated largely by several factors mainly poor conservation policies, strategies and allocation of financial and human resources.

“In any case, Luangwa Valley is not the only Game Park in Zambia. We have about 20 National Game Parks and over 30 game reserves. In fact, most, if not all the parks require restocking. A serious environmentally-conscious government would have opted for relocation than culling. We must take a leaf from the Republics of Kenya and Tanzania that relocate their animals when conditions dictate,” Mr. Sinkamba said.

Mr. Sinkamba said Kenya and Tanzania, do, year-in-year out, relocate wildlife from drought stricken areas to other conservation areas across the country.

“Mind you, hippos are not exclusively for Luangwa. They can live anywhere in the country. So, they can easily be relocated to other parts of the country. If Government says it has no resources do so, we can move in and help marshal the resources. We have done it before for the Copperbelt Environment Project and Zambia Environmental Restoration Project. We cannot fail to do so to save the hippos,” Mr. Sinkamba added.

Mr. Sinkamba has lobbied conservationists worldwide to boycott Zambia as a tourist destination is Government proceeds with the programme.

“Our lobby to boycott Zambia as a tourist destination is going on very well. The response from conservationists globally is quite encouraging. Just wait and see what will happen,” he said.

This government needs to read the ball game. Mining has run its race. It is proving to be unsustainable and no longer as beneficial to the nation as it used to be. The next most viable sectors are high-value agriculture and eco-tourism. So, how do you promote eco-tourism when you cull the very animals that tourists are expected to come and watch? The culling policy is motivated by pure greed,” he added.

Issued by The Green Party Media Team

21 COMMENTS

  1. Thanks Sinkamba for this intervention. Your lonely voice on critical issues affecting this country is not in vain. Hopefully Archbishop Banda will follow the foot steps of his predecessor Archbishop Tresfore Mpundu to hold government accountable. Lets wait and seen the reaction of the Catholics on this challenge

    • Another passionate fella like HH. This one about hippos? Is this the guy who advocates for the legalizing of marijuana? I WILL LET HIM OFF, I KNOW WHAT HE HAS BEEN SMOKING AND WILL CONTINUE SMOKING THROUGHOUT THE WEEKEND. Enjoy the weekend mate!

    • Sinkamba is real. Just transfer some hippos to Luapula province. Balotseland is not good relocation because rice production.
      Why PF like killing things?

    • @Nostradamus. You are right. Sinkamba is real. The much-talked about FIC Report highlights potential loss to the country of a paltry US$0.5 million. Culling of hippos will cost the country a whooping loss of US$27 million. Yet, day-in-day HH, and all these other politicians are focused on the FIC report. What is wrong with us zambians, kanshi? Is it that there is too much mediocrity in our country what?

  2. We have so many water bodies which have long been vacated by wildlife because of poaching. Surely restocking and protecting the animals is a better alternative than culling or rather sport shooting. ganizanikoni milo guys please tapapata. At the rate our wildlife is dwindling in Africa, we must even start considering cross border relocation

  3. This is not even culling but trophy hunting…the RSA company pays ZAWA maybe $200 for license yet their customer pays $10000 in RSA send money in RSA …someone somewhere is profiting from this…

  4. Sinkamba,
    Why do you have a segregatory mind? What makes you think that Catholics are the only people that have a love for God’s creation? Your appeal should have been directed at all well meaning Zambian citizens and any other people’s of the world. Sinkamba you are a demerit to this country for several reasons…..

  5. Tell the Catholic bishops about legalizing marijuana as well. Stop using the Catholic church as a platform to broadcast your views which has political inclination.

  6. You think this government will listen when there is money to be made here. The so called culling is just hunting and selling meat in a large scale. These are the austerity measures to line their pockets.

  7. Lungu is just broke….. ..and clueless

    He is ready to sell anything.

    Wildlife tourism can be improved and will make 10 times what the cull will make but of course that involves work and for lungu and his ministers it is easier to sell then work to improve things…

    Sikamba we are with you on organising this boycott to enlighten tourists about the killing rivers of Zambia , let’s see how the tourist industry will collapse.

    Lungu and your lazy ministers you have been warned……just work to improve touarisim instead of killing animals.

    • Spaka anything against Lungu you can support such Charmaine as a candidate. By the way you’re supporting Kwese on the free signal issue but did you ask if people connected to Kwese do so for free? No they pay just like Gotv Dstv, Zuku and Top Star. So if Mr Kwese gets a free signal who’s benefitting the viewer or Mr Kwese?

    • Ndanji
      I do not support anything aninst lungu but the buck stops at him and I did not support charmain….i supported her right to contest.

      As for the free to air tv , why should the Chinese be charging Zambians for something that is free ? ZNBC is supposed to be the national broadcaster and is supposed to pass on free tv to Zambians but we have Chinese reaping ?

    • And ndanji those topstar Chinese are blocking competition in the broadcast space so as to maximise profits to China at the expense of Zambians….

  8. Culling!?? Haha more like “legalised” poaching! The government should always protect the environment and the animals in it but these corrupt pigs don’t think about the future, only their fat pockets and stomachs.

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