The Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) requires US$1.5 million for animal restocking in its national parks around the country.
ZAWA Director General, Lewis Saiwana, said owing to severe poaching, the population of animals in national parks across the country has dwindled.
Dr. Saiwana said in an interview with ZANIS in Lusaka that conservation efforts should be start by restocking the national parks.
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He cited the Zambezi national park as one of the areas which has been adversely affected by poaching.
He pointed out that the illegal squatters in the Zambezi Park were suspected to have been contributing to the massive poaching of animals.
Dr. Saiwana said the squatter in the park have since been given up to June 30th, 2008 to vacate the area.
He said failure to comply with the ultimatum; ZAWA would use force to remove them.
“Notice has been given to the people living in the park to leave by June 30 out of their own accord. If they do not, then ZAWA will have them removed forcibly because it is illegal to stay in a national park” he said.
Mr. Saiwana noted that animals such as the Kudu, Impala, buffalo, Zebra, and bush buck were some of the animals that were targeted by poachers.
He added that as soon as the illegal squatters leave the Zambezi national park, ZAWA, with the help from cooperating partners, would start restocking the park.
Meanwhile, Dr. Saiwana disclosed that ZAWA has embarked on a programme of allocating tourism concessions to private investors to help develop North Luangwa national park in Chinsali district in Northern Province.
He said tourism concessions would help in promoting tourism in the country.
He pointed out that tourism concession agreements would be granted to private investors, which include Zambians, who would help develop the park and boost tourism in the country.
“ZAWA is 100% in charge of national parks and so tourism concessions will be given to private investors who will develop the park by establishing lodges and hotels that will attract investors and boost tourism in the country as a whole” he said.
[ZANIS]
Where does ZAWA take all the funds that they receive from rentals of parks and lodges in our game parks? I am sure that ZAWA is another loophole that economic hooligans are using to cripple our nation. WHo receives annual financial reports of ZAWA’s operations?
I miss the days of INDECO and ZIMCO where firms were audited and financial reports were produced for the nation to know what was going on. Trouble is that most citizens have been hijacked by the privateers into thinking that privatization is a panacea when it is only one of many other things Zambia can do to improve the lot or our vast majority of poor people.
LT why do you delete my contributions? Stop these dictatorial tendencies or shut blog up.
2 sometimes this world press things does not work well, so copy the message after typing, click reset and then paste the message back you should be fine
ZAWA here we go again! ZAWA should first explain why they always kill animals that have strayed from the national park. I would’ve thought that with the dwindling animal numbers they would simply tranquilize the animal and release it to the national park. Did that Leopard killed in Monze a few days ago really have to die?
Do they even have tranquilizers i wonder!!!
Why not just invest in training and well arming game rangers? Why have alot of young unemployed pipo in Zambia.Instead of re-stocking, let nature take its course and take long-term measures.Train these young pipo the military way, eqiup them with radios, AK47s, helicopters, etc.Well, if we say tourism is to be big , why not spend big now and reap the rewards 10 years and beyond.
If I had money I would have bought Lochnivar national park, its just a stone throw from my home village.
The animals translocated into National Parks – many of unsuitable genetic ancestry, will find themselves beset by the same problems that their indigenous brothers have to deal with: rampant poaching and fires, and an administration which appears incapable of giving those communities who had originally agreed to the alienation of their traditional lands to protected status, any say or benefit from those same lands.
bonse ba ZAWA Nibakabolala. they want to steal all that money.