Katavi man arrested over killing 4 tuskers in nation’s third largest park

The 44-year-old, Nzuri Ndizu of Mbede village in Mlele District, Katavi Region was also found with eight tusks weighing 50 kgs worth 120m/-.
Katavi Regional Police Commander Dhahiri Kidavashari said the tusks came from four elephants which were killed in the wilderness of the Tanzania’s western park.
In a telephone interview, the RPC said that the suspect was arrested at around 9pm on January 11, this year.
The suspect, he said, was arrested following the ongoing police operation to nab suspected poachers and illegal hunters in the region.
Commander Kidavashari said on the fateful day, police were tipped off by good samaritans that in an area close to the national park there were suspected poachers who were involved in the wanton killing of the jumbos.
“The police force had to make a closer-follow up in the area by setting a trap to nab the suspected poachers,” the RPC said, adding:
“We managed to arrest one man identified as Nzuri Ndizu, who was in possession of eight elephant tusks; which were hidden in the bush as he was waiting for customers.”
According to RPC Kidavashari, police were still interrogating the suspect so as to nab the entire elephant killings syndicate and the entire ivory trade, before taking him to court.
The incident came barely few days when three people were arrested in Aiter Street in Mpanda township while in possession of 12 pieces of elephant tusks worth 120m/- in a move that shows that poaching is still in huge hit in the region.
Like the case in all other national parks in the country, poaching is a problem in Katavi. Other illegal activities, including unauthorised hunting, snaring of wildlife, felling of trees and theft of live animals also continue despite protective patrols. Poachers target large mammals such as elephants, rhinos for ivory trade and other wild animals including buffaloes and leopards.
The situation is compounded by the presence of undesirable elements among the refugee population in camps in Mpanda, Kigoma and Tabora.
The refugees are notorious for selling fire arms, particularly sub-machine guns, to poachers, according to regional wildlife authorities.
The refugees, mainly from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Rwanda and Burundi, smuggle military fire arms from combat zones in their countries into Tanzania.
Subsistence and commercial poaching for meat and elephant tusks is still a problem in Katavi National Park.
Apart from the havoc wrought by notorious poachers, the management of Katavi has other sticky problems. The park has too few working facilities such as motor vehicles given that the existing ones are old, inefficient and costly to repair.
The area which became a national park in 1974 is also home to the rare roan and sable antelope species and is must-see for the visitor intent on exploring the wildlife of the continent.