The Serengeti National Park (SENAPA) has directed its rangers to assist in preventing rampaging elephants from terrorizing the surrounding local communities.
“Our rangers have been firing shots in the air to force the elephants to return to the park and they are instructed to help,” SENAPA Chief Park Warden William Mwakilema said here early this week.
He was speaking at a meeting jointly organized by the Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) to discuss how best they can improve relations between conservators and local communities living near the Northern fringes of the world’s famous park.
Local and traditional leaders cited frequent invasions by stray elephants in the villages as a major burden facing them and called for lasting solution.
According to the laws of the land, once any wild animal gets outside the park, it becomes under the control of the Director of Wildlife in the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism But, the Chief Park Warden said they have been assisting to return rampaging jumbos into their habitat whenever they get information from credible sources including village government leaders.
“We are providing mobile phone numbers of our wardens so that they can be called for help to return the elephants,” Mr Mwakilema said. Stray elephants have remained a major concern in villages near game protected areas in several parts of the country.
The mammals are cited to be the source of food insecurity and underdevelopment in the villages. Increased human/wildlife conflicts are attributed to expansion of subsistence farming and other human activities in the former routes of wild animals.
Senior conservators based in western Serengeti are calling for introduction of land use plans in the villages located near game protected areas.
SENAPA is bordered by over 80 villages found in seven districts of five Lake Zone Regions. Already, the Mara Regional Commissioner (RC), Mr John Tupa, has ordered the Tarime District Council to establish land use plans in all villages located near SENAPA in a bid to reduce unnecessary conflicts between conservators and the neighbouring local communities.
By MUGINI JACOB, Tanzania Daily News
