Tuesday, March 19, 2024

80 Black Lechwes have gone missing in the Bangweulu Wetlands in Luapula Province

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A fish cages used to hold fish on Lake Bangweulu under the Kambashe Bream Fisheries pilot project in Chilubi District in Northern Province

80 Black Lechwes have gone missing in the Bangweulu Wetlands in Luapula Province, a Conservationist working in the northern circuit, Nsama Musonda Learns has said.

Ms Learns says the animals were captured from the Bangwelu Wetlands during the now banned exercise where the Department for National Parks and Wildlife began capturing wildlife species from their natural habitats to private ranches.

She has appealed to all concerned Zambians, Civil Society Organisations and Media and Human Rights activists to help locate the Lechwes which are endemic to the Bangweulu Wetlands.

Ms Learns said no one knows where these species have been taken, what the objective for their capture was and whether they survived the transportation and if they have adapted to the new home.

“As the Northern circuit we are demanding for their return as the operations officers at Bangwelu wetlands were not involved in the process, no ecological report was produced and the community was not involved”, she lamented.

Ms Learns said these species are a pride and heritage of the Bangwelu wetlands and they don’t deserve to be robbed of their natural home.

Minister of Tourism and Arts Ronald Chitotela on 2nd October 2019 announced the suspension in the movement of animals from National Parks to Private ranches.

The suspension came a few days after controversy surrounded the movement of animals in Mfuwe where trucks were turned back by residents.

He said it was alleged that one of the Directors at the Ministry of Tourism and Arts signed a certificate of movement of live animals from one national park to a private ranch.

Bangweulu Wetlands is the only place in Africa where the Black Lechwe still occurs in significant numbers.

The population in 2005 was estimated at 35,000 but the area has the potential to carry up to 350,000 Black Lechwe.

34 COMMENTS

  1. Pf stronghold what u expect? You will find them at the game reserve lands the pf have allocated to themselves. My white wife is just running a hot bath as I watch her from bed. What a beauty. Can I sneak in a quick one? Mmh

  2. Its another forty eight oh sorry fiftytwo houses .We wont trace who has taken them.start by checking who were given licences
    To tranfer these animals?

  3. The general perception of the PF is that it’s a Government of shameless kleptomaniacs. This is why their activities lack transparency. However, for as long as they’re in public office whatever they shall one day be in public and that day is coming soon

  4. Chitotela is a thief

    I cry for Zambia as a country. The people are like sheep without shepherds.

    Journalists are all dull and corrupt.

    It’s a pity. Worse still, no opposition party to replace PF.

    UPND can even be more dangerous with the man on the helm already with an off shore account.

    • This is the problem with fools like you. Pf have had 8 years of power. What has the country achieved? Maybe you don’t know because you have run away from your country but we are still here and will die here for our land. The country has gone down in all aspects from what mmd had left it. Now upnd is the next popular party. Common sense says we try them out and see what the first 5 years takes us. If they perform average to good then we can give them another term. If not then vote them out and try another party. Remember have us a chance to vote pf out in 2016 because they had already brought a lot of misery to the people but we still ignored and voted them back. Now see where we are…even worse off. So if you miss the bus in 2021 and vote back pf than get ready for another Zimbabwe. Go…

  5. Generally, PF is aware of the fact that they can not win the 2021 election, they know this because all the elections that have taken place under the eagle non have been won without manipulation, so they are clear on what will happen hence the rampant theft of resources, but time for reckoning is just around the corner

  6. I know for a fact that even in the Kafue National park, they have been capturing animals and taking them elsewhere. Locals say they export to SA. Government ought to know. Animals don’t just get captured and moved without some kind of permit from a government department.

    • He’s now graduated from being a petty thief to a white collar criminal. This is the chaps with his friend Rodgers who insulted the Mwata when he told them off about the 2nd had ambulances that they bought from CDF. But he can’t be the class of the Freemason the Grand Mwene Mutapa Cayman Island Saturnia Liquidator General who can plunder without a trace. Chitotela will end like that chap who runs a newspaper whom Mwanawasa found as a sacrificial lamb. If he’s being used I remind him about Golden Mandandi was also use, MHSRIP

  7. Awe kuti waseka….but how are things done pa Zed kanshi….the abnormal is becoming normal…..am impressed there people who have head counts of these animals… Could be they have just missed the counting….otherwise shilimuma trunk nyama izii….

  8. The minister of tourism knows where the animals are! He has a track record for stealing and mass corruption from his old ministry and the appointing authority continues to look the other way! Shame!

  9. We told you, national parks and Zambias wildlife are the only thing left for lungu and his gang yo loot and sell…….

    Putting chitotela incharge was a calculated move by lungu and his gang….

    Only the vigilance of local chiefs and villagers can stop these looting gangs lead by lungu…..

    Other wise you will wakeup and find lungu and his gang have looted and sold everything……

  10. I thought animals got rights too is it only human rights why do you move animals from there home for no proper reason pf leaders should try to be human the animals should be trance and taken back to their home who is the chief for that area something should be done.

  11. How can it be that Infrastructure Ministry is now looking to lowering costs of projects that the former fo.ol approved? That guy is Minister is now where Tourism portfolio was “tondolo” until he was moved there. That guy will ALWAYS find something to steal – on a grand scale!!! Even in Community Development that man will sell donated corn to FRA or DRC!! Just send him to the backbench and set the cops on him mwe. Cacilamo koma!

  12. Research first before you comment, we pray that people should be posting good things not bad things. The government through his able leadership His Excellency President Dr. Edgar Chagwa Lungu are working hard unless if your eyes are clossed then will pray to God to let you see, however stop the cheap politics and stop posting things which does not hold and water. We are challenging you to be good citizen who will appreciate the good work that the government has so far put in place.

  13. Check every ranch for these ministers and close friends or check every export manifest at the borders am sure you will find them.

  14. In Chapter 8 of my book Building the African Brand: Basic Analyses and Proposals (available online at Amazon kdp and Smashwords), I wrote about the perils of allocating foreigners ‘rice-growing land’ in our treasured Bangweulu swamps. I also referred to a local newspaper report of animals being ‘airlifted’ from our game reserves.

    Can we not be totally in charge of such natural resources as the Bangweulu wetlands? Many countries secretly wish the animals we have were in their own game conservation, tourist-attracting areas. It means any illegal trade in our priceless animals would be extremely lucrative.

  15. @alangizi. Your PF government is just full of thieves.

    Zambians are watching and will hens will come home to roost in 2021.

  16. This is the problem with characters like you. Pf have had 8 years of power. What has the country achieved? Maybe you don’t know because you have run away from your country but we are still here and will die here for our land. The country has gone down in all aspects from what mmd had left it. Now upnd is the next popular party. Common sense says we try them out and see where the first 5 years takes us. If they perform average to good then we can give them another term. If not then vote them out and try another party. Remember we had a chance to vote pf out in 2016 because they had already brought a lot of misery to the people but we still ignored and voted them back. Now see where we are…even worse off. So if you miss the bus in 2021 and vote back pf than get ready for another…

  17. PF will accuse HH….. PF will say HH has bribed all the Chiefs in Luapula….. This PF chaps will always come with most silly excuse for the disappearance of this animals……..

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