Tanzania: Plans to auction 3.5 tonnes of hippo teeth sparks outrage

independent.co.uk - Wildlife conservation groups have criticised plans by Tanzanian authorities to auction 3.5 tonnes of hippo teeth next week. They said the move could increase poaching.

Licensed dealers will be able to bid for 12,500 pieces of hippo teeth at the tourism and natural resources ministry in the city of Dar es Salaam, wildlife authorities in the east African nation said.

Conservationists said the sale could encourage the killing of the creatures, which are classified as “vulnerable” on the international “red list” of endangered species.

There are up to 130,000 hippos in sub-Saharan Africa, according to estimates.

But the animal has become increasingly threatened by a demand for their meat, skin and teeth as well as habitat loss.

A regulated trade in hippo parts is allowed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Their teeth are carved for ornaments and sold in parts of Asia.

The bones predominantly come from Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Malawi, according to CITIES data.

Even though some countries still have healthy populations, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) "discourages the consumption of hippopotamus ivory and are disappointed to see auctions such as this taking place,” said Colman O'Criodain an expert in wildlife trade at the organisation. ContinueReading

Turkey: Erdogan asks Tanzania to act against Gulen network

Dar es Salaam (AFP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Monday Jan. 23 asked his Tanzanian counterpart John Magufuli to take action against the network of an exiled cleric he blames for last year's failed coup.

The Hizmet movement run by US-based cleric Fethullah Gulen, is linked to a network of schools across the world, including in Africa, and the Turkish president is rallying leaders on the continent to help him fight the influence of his longtime rival.

"The party that wants to overthrow me isn't only in Turkey... I am convinced that Tanzania will from now on take measures against this terrorist organisation," Erdogan said after meeting Magufuli.

It was not clear what action he had asked Tanzania to take against the schools, which are believed to be affiliated with Gulen's movement. They are extremely popular among the country's middle class and often among the best performing schools.

Turkish officials accuse Gulen of using his vast private education network to build influence and of running a "parallel state" inside Turkey.

Gulen, a former Erdogan ally, vehemently denies the allegations. A reclusive figure, he has lived in self-imposed exile in Pennsylvania since 1999.

Hizmet describes itself as promoting Islam through charity efforts and educational work in countries stretching from Turkey to Africa and Central Asia to the United States. (ontinueReading

Conservationists warn: Elephants are vanishing

The wildlife group TRAFFIC says the number of elephants in Tanzania dropped by more than 65,000 in 5 years. Poaching is blamed

(DetroitFreePress) June 2, 2015 - NAIROBI, Kenya — The sharp decline of the elephant population in Tanzania, most likely the result of poaching, is catastrophic, a wildlife conservation group said Tuesday.

The Tanzanian government estimated Monday that 65,721 elephants have died in the country in the last five years. The report showed the number of Tanzanian elephants plummeting from about 109,051 in 2009 to 43,330 in 2014.

Steve Broad, the executive directors of the wildlife conservation group TRAFFIC, said it is incredible that poaching on such an industrial scale had not been identified and addressed. The statistics back TRAFFIC's concerns in a 2013 report that said the Tanzanian ports of Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar have become main exit points for vast amounts of ivory, the group said in a statement.

According to the conservation group, at least 45 tons of ivory have flowed from Tanzania to international markets in Asia since 2009. In February, China imposed a one-year ban on ivory imports that took immediate effect amid criticism that its citizens' huge appetite for ivory has fueled poaching that threatens the existence of African elephants.

And in the U.S., California lawmakers are seeking to close a loophole in the state's ban on importing, buying or selling elephant ivory or rhinoceros horn that allows old ivory to be sold. Assembly Speaker Toni Atkins said Tuesday that California is a top market for ivory and civil and criminal penalties could reduce sales.

TRAFFIC said a breakdown across the country showed some smaller elephant populations had increased, notably in the famed Serengeti region, where populations rose from 3,068 to 6,087 animals. However, beyond the most heavily visited tourist locations, elephant numbers were significantly down.

Of particular concern is the Ruaha-Rungwa ecosystem, where only 8,272 elephants remained in 2014, compared to 34,664 in 2009, according to government figures.

"Tanzania has been hemorrhaging ivory with Ruaha-Rungwa the apparent epicenter, and nobody seems to have raised the alarm," Broad said. He urged the government to take action to bring the situation under control.

The Tanzanian government says it has added 1,000 rangers to protect wildlife, but Broad said "there is a real risk that it could be a case of too little too late for some elephant populations." Full Story

Tanzania must halt violence against albinos: UN rights chief

(timeslive.co.za) Feb 19 1015. =The UN human rights chief harshly condemned the murder and mutilation of an albino toddler in Tanzania, demanding authorities protect albinos, whose body parts are used for witchcraft in the country.

"Violence and discrimination against people with albinism must be halted," UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said in a statement, condemning "the horrific murder and mutilation of Yohana Bahati."

The one-year old boy was seized by men with machetes from his home in northern Tanzania's Chato district overnight Saturday, and his mother was badly injured in the attack.

Police found his body, with his arms and legs hacked off, on Tuesday.

Zeid said attacks on people with albinism, which are often motivated by the use of body parts for witchcraft rituals, had claimed the lives of at least 75 people since 2000.

He warned that the attacks seemed to be on the rise, with at least three incidents over the past two months.

"I call on the Tanzanian authorities to swiftly investigate and prosecute perpetrators of this terrible crime and to strengthen its protection measures for people with albinism," Zeid said.

The UN repeated its fears that the uptick in attacks against albinos could be linked to looming general and presidential elections in October 2015, as political campaigners may be turning to influential sorcerers to improve their odds.

"This is the year of elections in Tanzania and, as some analysts have suggested, it could be a dangerous year for people living with albinism," UN country chief Alvaro Rodriguez warned Wednesday.

Albino body parts sell for around $600 in Tanzania, with an entire corpse fetching $75,000, according to the UN.

Albinism is a hereditary genetic condition which causes a total absence of pigmentation in the skin, hair and eyes. It affects one Tanzanian in 1,400, often as a result of inbreeding, experts say. In the West, it affects just one person in 20,000.