Deliberate poisoning of wild animals is being seen as a weapon of choice by farmers who see wild animals as a threat to their livestock, and this is tantamount to wildlife genocide.
This was said by Integrated Rural Development and Nature Conservation (IRDNC) Director, John Kasaona, who added that wildlife poisoning has been acknowledged as one of the most unembellished issues that has been threatening wildlife in Namibia and the Kunene Region in particular – resulting in numerous unaccounted for deaths of wild animals for the past 10 years.
Kasaona was responding to a recent incident in which two farmers were arrested for allegedly poisoning and killing four lions and two hyenas in the areas of the Omatendeka and Ehi-Rovipuka conservancies in Kunene.
He told Nampa on Thursday that farmers who lose livestock to wild animals tend to resort to retribution, using poison as their defence mechanism.
Kasaona said it is against Namibian laws for wild animals to be killed without permission, adding that IRDNC, being tasked with protecting wildlife, will not tolerate unruly farmers who take the law into their own hands.
“There are channels of communication that one should follow in regards to human-wildlife conflict and this is reporting such incidents rather than retaliating. We all know these areas are dominated by wild animals and therefore ask for vigilance from our farmers in tackling these issues,” he said, noting that raising awareness and public involvement has been a key element in tackling the problem.
Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism spokesperson Romeo Muyunda echoed Kasaona’s sentiments, stating that the law is clear when it comes to wildlife poisoning and it can lead to imprisonment.
Muyunda also touched on perceptions making the rounds on social media, of government guarding wild animals more compared to livestock, a perception he described as erroneous, noting that wildlife is the country’s natural resource which is used to generate enough income in order to benefit everyone.
He said there were provision in laws for losses and assisting farmers who lose their livestock to wild animals and these laws should be abided to in order to avoid misunderstanding and unnecessary imprisonment.
Source: The Namibian Press Agency
