Birdlife Poaching in Botswana

Botswana has had numerous difficulties with the poaching of elephants for bushmeat and ivory trade, but recent studies have shown that the Kori Bustard bird has also been the target for poaching and export, leaving them a threatened species. The Kori Bustard- the largest Bustard in sub-saharan Africa- is a preferred meat for local consumption. The locals set up snares to trap the birds for tribal elders to eat in some regions, while in other regions they may be eaten by any people from the tribes where they simply shoot them with guns. The birds are also being encroached upon because of overgrazing of domesticated animals belonging to both tribes and more developed areas of modern society. To add to the threat of poaching, the Kori Bustards are smuggled alive or dead across the border to South Africa and sold for exotic meats and pet trade to the rich in and out of Africa in boxes up to 10 at a time. For more information about the poaching of birdlife in Botswana or questions on how you can help, please consult the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund or the Global Environment Facility/Small Grants Programme who assisted with the funding of this study or visit http://www.birdlife.org/news/news/2005/11/kori.html .

For personal inquiry, contact blb@birdlifebotswana.org.bw for a final report for this cause. Thank you for your time and assistance.

Poaching for Profit and Pet Trade in Madagascar

Poachers threaten the Spider Tortoise with extinction along the coast of Madagascar in the Northern regions. They sell them to be eaten by the locals, and to fuel the exotic pet trade- so much that the wild numbers of this species of tortoise has fallen by almost 90%. This species is in massive demand due to their worth; up to $1000 each, which is seen as a necessary source of income for the poorer areas in the country's poor financial state. Also with the encroachment of the beaches, their habitats have been destroyed. There is an estimated 2 million Spider Tortoises left in the wild. For more information, go to http://news.bbc.co.uk/earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8224000/8224143.stm or contact the Union for the Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Tortoise and Freshwater Turtle Specialist Group. There has also been shocking amounts of Madagascan Lemur which have been brutally slaughtered for bush meat, sold to restaurant owners for what they call "delicacies". Poachers will shoot them and smoke them to be sold to the poorer areas all around Madagascar. Already 15 people have been arrested for killing lemurs in the forsets with slingshots and guns in the last week. If the market for lemur meat increases, this could mean a global scale of hunting these animals, making them extict within several years. Donor Agencies have been built in order to save these animals, but they still need help to raise awareness as to not eating these poor creatures and selling them for people who simply want a trophy of their wealth. For more information on the poaching of lemurs, go to http://news.bbc.co.uk.earth/hi/earth_news/newsid_8210000/8210355.stm
Thank you for your time and cooperation.

Organisations Against Poaching

For those readers who are interested to see what more can be done to fight against poaching on a global scale, here are some organisations which would be hugely grateful for any assistance in their projects.
www.indiatogether.org/2008/nov/env-policing.htm focusses on poaching in India.
www.africanconservation.org/cgi-bin/.../dcboard.cgi?/ focusses on the many conservation projects available in Africa.
www.bookami.wordpress.com/.../gabon-the-fight-against-poachers/ focusses on poaching in Gabon.
www.sanparks.org/parks/kruger/news/2009/poaching focusses on poaching in Kruger National Park of South Africa.
www.icoaonline.org/citizens-against-poaching focusses on other poaching-related projects from Idaho.

Many other informative websites can be found mentioned in the texts below. Thank you for your time and generosity.

Yaoundi and Eastern Cameroon

Yaoundi and Eastern Cameroon have had a high poaching threat to the nations' wildlife. 60 elephant tusks, 11 elephant tails, 350 parrot heads, 12 panther heads, 380 munitions, 46 arms and 20,000 snares have been confiscated at the border in 2008. These numbers prove how critical the situation is against the animal population poached, because of the loopholes discovered in the laws againts poaching in the Eastern area. Several NGOs, Cameroon Wildlife Officials and members of the East Regional Committee for the Fight Againt Poaching are working against poaching in Cameroon, but it is not enough. Any and all assistance from you would be greatly appreciated. For more information, visit
http://allafrica.com/stories/200901080586.html and see how you can help. Thank you for your time.

The Uganda Wildlife Education Center of Kampala

The Uganda Wildlife Education Center of Kampala is a facility that specializes with the conservation of chimpanzees, which have been poached to near extinction with less than 5000 chimpanzees left in the world. The numbers of these animals have been decimated for many reasons; bushmeat, destruction of habitats by deforestation, exporting as exotic pets, and some simply trapped in snares which were set for other animals, leaving limbs amputated, or leading to death. Up to 20% of the Ugandan chimpanzees have an amputated hand or foot. Encroachment of their habitats also leave them an easy target for such circumstances, which is why we need to act fast to save or relocate them so they do not become extinct. For more information, go to
http://www.earthtimes.org/articles/show/225737,poaching-and-deforestation-threaten-ugandan-chimps--feature.html or
http://www.uweczoo.org/ to contact the Uganda Wildlife Education Center. Thank you for your time and cooperation.

Gwayi Valley of Zimbabwe

The Gwayi Valley of Zimbabwe has had enormous amounts of poaching throughout the region, with an estimated 80% of all species of animals in National Parks have been killed in the past three years. Anti-poaching patrols have been set up previously, but are being overwhelmed by the rising amount of poachers. Every day, snares and traps are found by rangers with animals who have been suffocated, or trapped and starved to death. This poaching is caused by the surrounding villages of National Parks who are rapidly running out of food, and are forced to hunt in game reserves. Endangered animals have already been entirely wiped out, such as the African Wild Dog. With the economic collapse a looming threat to Zimbabwe, we should attempt to help one of the most precious resources- the animals. For more information, please visit
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3156604.stm and see how you can help. We appreciate your cooperation and thank you for your time.

Amboseli and Tsavo National Park of Kenya

In the area of Amboseli and the nearby Tsavo National Park in Kenya, there has been a very high poaching threat to elephants due to the demand for ivory by Chinese and Japanese buyers. For the first time in nearly a decade, a legal ivory auction has been held in Kenya, where multi- million dollar bids were made. This auction has risen concern for the critical situation for the elephants of Kenya. 98 elephants were killed in the area of Amboseli alone in 2008, and 5 elephants in 4 weeks were poached in Tsavo National Park. The country as a whole has gone from 1.3 million elephants to 600,000 in the last decade. if we don't help soon, there will barely be any of these majestic animals left. For more information, please visit
http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/kenya/090326/elephant-poaching-problem-kenya
and see how you can help. Thank you for your time and cooperation.