Official blames Kenya for Tanzania’s failed bid to sell 23 b/- ivory

[Ngongo]

A Tanzanian official is blaming Kenya for peddling negative propaganda that led to the decision by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to reject the country’s plea to sell 100 tonnes of stockpiled ivory.

The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, Dr Ladislous Komba has told the press that Tanzania was planning to renew the request, saying that misinformation had failed the proposal.

“We were right and confident but what happened is that Kenya spearheaded negative campaign and all other nations relied on wrong information from Kenya and that is why the conclusions were not in our favour,” he said.

Dr Komba noted that the country was doing better in preventing
elephants from being killed and that could be proven by the fact
that it has a big population of elephants than any other country in
the Southern and Central Africa. But as Tanzania is lamenting, Kenya is in euphoria with CITES move “ The Tanzanian proposal has been rejected which is a very encouraging sign for our efforts in the last few months,” elated Julius Kipng’etich told the Nation from Doha where he represented Kenya in the CITES meeting.

Earlier Tanzania had blasted CITES Secretariat for its report on the country’s wildlife survey, saying it was biased, inadequate and incorrect, hence unsatisfactory.

Reports say that the 175-national convection also rejected a similar proposal from Zambia to sell off its ivory stocks which were considered later in the day (yesterday).

The Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Ms Shamsa Mwangunga, reports The Daily News, said earlier that the country was committed to conservation of its wildlife including elephants. Ms Mwangunga noted that the government planned to use proceeds from the trade for strengthening anti-poaching activities.

She argued that elephant population had reached the point where they were trampling crops and killing too many people. The proposal also said preventing selling of the stocks which come from natural deaths or controlled culling of problem animals would increase anger toward the beasts that are seen increasingly as pests by affected communities.

The country was asking to sell about 90,000 kilogrammes of its stockpiled ivory that would have generated as much as 20 million US dollars (over 23bn/-). It was noted in the proposal that the elephant population has risen from 55,000 in 1989 to 110,000 last year.

The neighbouring Kenya and six other African countries, proposed a halt in what limited international trade in ivory is currently allowed and a 20-year moratorium on any attempts to relax international trade controls on African elephant ivory.

Opponents led by the United States, the European Union and several
central and west African countries say the country has not done enough to combat poaching and slow the illegal trade in ivory.

They also wanted more time to assess whether a 2008 ivory sale by Zimbabwe, Botswana, South Africa, Namibia had contributed to the illegal trade. Ivory sales have in recent years been among the most contentious proposals at CITES and this time around African countries, and even some environmental groups, are divided.

The ivory would be sold to China and Japan — the only countries which have asked to purchase it. The proposal would have been the third ivory sale following ones in 1999 and 2008.


Source:Arusha Times.

 

[bona]

everyday kenya edged us in information, this is very neuseatic, but i am with kenyan, no sell no buy!

 

[Masikini_Jeuri]

The Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Ms Shamsa Mwangunga, reports The Daily News, said earlier that the country was committed to conservation of its wildlife including elephants. Ms Mwangunga noted that the government planned to use proceeds from the trade for strengthening anti-poaching activities.

Acheni kutafuta mchawi; sababu hii na nyinginezo zinaoneka kutokuwa genuine kabisaa

 

[JS]

true kenya did play a big part ya kutuzuia sisi tusiuze hizo ivory. and what is that thing again we call EAST AFRICA COMMUNITY. Instead of backing our plan ya kureduce the pilled stock of ivory they decided to go against us such a selfish country i have never seen.

Although kulikuwa na heated agenda that if they allowed us to sell it would encourage illegal killing of elephants kupata ivory but we had strong reasons to back up our requests.

Sasa what are we to do with the overpilled stocks of ivory?????

 

[Companero]

"Only Elephants Should Wear Ivory"!

 

[Ladslaus Modest]

Mwenye Macho haambiwi tazama wala mwenye masikio haambiwi Sikia.

Jumuisho la Afrika Mashariki "Kisiasa" lisiruhusiwe kamwe.

 

[Nanu]

Kenyan all the time they look into things if they will benefit or not and not if my neighbour will benefit or not. This applies even to individual levels, everybody just thinks of himself. For this same reason that is why most of the land is owned by the the ex-leaders or members of their families. They were never thinking of Kenyans while acquiring the fertile land, they were just thinking of themselves. That eccentricity applies to the nation and its neigbours also. It is their behavior and attitude!!!!

 

[Smatta]

true kenya did play a big part ya kutuzuia sisi tusiuze hizo ivory. and what is that thing again we call EAST AFRICA COMMUNITY.

Sasa what are we to do with the overpilled stocks of ivory?????

I guess you'll have to burn them, like we did back in '89 where we burned 12 tons of ivory. If you had good enough reason backed up with proper arguments, I guess the ban could have been lifted, but what do we know...

 

[Manda]

EAC is being being backed by individual state self interests and not unless otherwise, as 'we the community' i thought we will be speaking at the same language at the International level, this is so ironic, mind you, Tanzania haven't take that for granted, hope watakuwa so critical next time katika inshu zinazohusu jumuiya as well as ktk International level (mfano si watz watakuwa nao)
Bi Shamsa, kayachome tu yale madude mama, kuliko kurundika ghalani, Disco ashaingia mmasai! Lol!

 

[Nono]

Wazuiwe kabisa. Shehena zilizokamatwa Thailand n.k zote zilitoka Tanzania kimagenzo na inasadikiwa kuwa vigogo tena wanaomiliki meli ndio wafanya biashara wakubwa. Wanauthibitishia vipi ulimwengu kuwa wameweza kuthibiti hiyo biashara? Kuna haja ya kuwa na international monitors ambao watakuwa wanataifisha nyara za serikali na fedha zitokanazo zitolewe kama misaada kwa katika maafa kama haiti, wakati wa njaa ethiopia, somalia n.k.

 

[Bulesi]

Tatizo liko kwa viongozi wetu kila siku kufikiria kuwa mambo yanawezekana kirahisirahisi na ndio maana hata watu tunaowatuma kwenda kutuwakulisha kwenye mambo mazito wanakuwa watu wepesi wasioweza kujenga hoja mbele ya kadamnasi ya kimataifa na wao wakasikilizwa!! Tunawapeleka walimu wa UPE kwenda kulobby eti tuuze pembe zetu za ndovu; mama yule hana personality wala language power ya kuwafanya wanaomsikiliza kukubaliana na hoja zake; had we sent someone credible and with intergrity I am sure our request to sell the ivory would have been granted!! Msisahau kuwa hawa jamaa huwa wanafanya utafiti wa kina kabla ya hii mikutano na in our case I am sure waligundua uhusianao kati ya majangili ya kule Rujewa na waziri wetu wa maliasili na kuwa wao ndio walikuwa behind the move ya kuhalalisha biashara ya pembe za ndovu na kwa misingi hiyo our request was torpidoed.

 

[Jammu Africa]

There is nothing like Tanzanian or Kenyan Elephants. They move across
the borders at their own wills.

These animals are our heritages and we the humans around these areas
will be judged harshly by the generations to come if we try to legalize
the sell of their body parts and allow their extinctions occur at
our time.

What is the use of acquiring a few millions in the name of getting ride of the
stock piles?.

Why doesn't the governments sell the stock piles of Mhihadarati kama bhangi
ililio katika stock piles za illegals ambazo zilikua zimeshikwa na serikali kutoka kwa
wa halifu?.

Why burn it or what does the Tz's do with these illegals. In Kenya, we always puts
them on fire as we do the ivories.

Are we not going to keep the people who buys these illegal commodities busy and
stocked and after buying your stoke and you have no more, who will stop them, the
buyers, from buying the ivory from the same poachers the government pupports to
fight?

By the government taking the roll of selling these ivories, would there be any difference
between the government and the poachers?

Doesn't it sound ridiculous.

These animals belongs to us all because they move from countries to countries without needing
any kind of passports and it is sheer selfishness for any country to claim that it has a bigger
stockpile of ivory and should be allowed to 'SELL' it.

Why does Tz need that money from ivory more than Kenya? Doesn't Kenya has it's own stock
piles.

We were first to burn our stock piles some times ago and showed how serious we were.

It would be a very big shame for any government worth of any respect to side with people who
want to finish it's heritage forgetting that future generations to come would also love to have
elephants around.

Tz's brothers are reading this Kenyan action from a very wrong angle that Kenya, all it wants is to
harm the Tanzanian interests.

This is completely wrong assumption.

For what Kenya is doing is protecting these animals because we the humans are the custodians,
and we say here in Kenya that as much as we're Capitalist and love money that much, one thing is
clear, we can not allow our animal's parts be exchaged with a few dollars.

We value them much more than those dollars.

We would rather stay poor if that is the only source of money.

What is wrong with Zambia?

Are they not supposed to be one of the leading producers of copper.

Instead of investing on their copper and go to that level where they are selling finished goods,
have failed and let the foreigners get richer than them and now feel poor to the level where they're
not ashamed as a government to advocate the selling of these animals parts.

These Elephants do not belong to any government, they belong to all generations and especially
ones to come.

Kenya is defending the Elephants' interests.

If the Elephants' ever talks , they would say a very big 'thank you' to Kenya.