German boost surveillance at Senapa

25Feb 2016
Correspondent
News
The Guardian
German boost surveillance at Senapa

THE German Ambassador to Tanzania has handed over a Husky aircraft to Tanzania that will be deployed by Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) for surveillance at the Serengeti National Park.

German Ambassador Egon Kochanke

The donation is part of the Berlin government’s endeavor to support Tanzania through Tanzania National Parks’ fight against poaching.

“We are seeing a large number of mammals at our protected areas under a severe threat of extinction because of poaching,” said Prof Jumanne Maghembe, the Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism.

He was speaking during the handing over ceremony held at Seronera in the Serengeti National Park. Maghembe lauded the German government for support in countering the recent upsurge in poaching.

“Stringent law enforcement, community involvement and ecosystem management are key in the fight against poaching,” said German Ambassador Egon Kochanke.

“I am very proud to be able to hand this aircraft over to the Tanzanian authorities and FZS. This is an important cornerstone of our close and longstanding cooperation.”

Frankfurt Zoological Society will operate the aircraft in close cooperation with the Serengeti National Park Authority. With aerial support, poacher camps and illegal activities can be detected and the pilots can provide critical information to reaction forces on the ground.

Tanzanian wildlife authorities are faced with a dramatic upsurge of poaching that threatens the country’s population of elephants and rhinos.

To counter the threat and to support wildlife and habitat monitoring, the German government has provided funding for the acquisition of three aircraft. It is part of a larger German commitment of 20.5 million Euros to Serengeti National Park and adjacent districts.

The other two Husky A-1C Aircraft will be deployed in the Tanzanian Selous Game Reserve and the Zambian North Luangwa National Park. The Husky is well suited for monitoring and anti-poaching surveys as it operates at low heights and slow speeds.

This support is part of longer-term financial and technical development cooperation measures implemented by FZS, GIZ, KfW, in collaboration with Tanzania Wildlife Authority (Tawa), Tanzania National Parks (Tanapa), and the Zambian Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW).

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