Africa’s Wildlife Bodies Struggle With Wildlife Trafficking

Uganda Wildlife Authority the body charged with protecting the wildlife in the country of Uganda has encountered lots difficulties in dealing with wildlife smugglers. This is mainly due to the failure by some Uganda Wildlife Authority officials and the Uganda Revenue Authority to identify these wildlife specimens especially at the border points. The curbing of wildlife trafficking is made even harder due to the limited resources the Wildlife Authorities have and lack of awareness by the law enforcement agents about wildlife crimes. This failure by law enforcement agents is evident in the fact that last year a consignment destined for the Philipines which consisted of approximately 128 turtles was seized in Kenya’s International Airport of Jomo Kenyatta. This cargo which had been declared as containing shells of turtles was established to have originated from Uganda having passed through Entebbe International Airport.Another aspect in this multifaceted illegal trade in wildlife is the fraudulent Clearing and Forwarding companies which are used to prepare fake shopping documents who are further aided by corrupt government officials as well as shipping companies.

Trafficking Wildlife has also escalated due to the fact that many of the culprits easily escape detection and the punishment meted out against them is far less than the huge benefits they reap from a single sale.

If left unchecked this illegal trade in wildlife will adversely affect Africa’s wildlife which has long been its pride and a great potential for economic development. According to Mr. Dan Alio the Lusaka Agreement Task Force Field officer, illegal trade in Wildlife is the third highest contraband business accounting for between 10 – 20 billion USD annually.

The east African countries of the Great Lakes region are faced with a great challenge of countering these smuggling rackets. This is due to the fact the region has a high bio diversity with lots of endemic species which are highly sought after by trophy hunters and rich people wishing to getting these animals as pets as well as keep them in their backyards. Illegal trading in flora and fauna has been such as concern to the wildlife authorities in the region. In Uganda along the Uganda Wildlife Authority seized over 130 wildlife species in 2005.

To further illustrate the depth taken by the smugglers, Mr. Enoch Walugembe, the Uganda Wildlife Authority Assistant Commissioner for Enforcement said these smugglers use among other things diplomatic bags to carry offer small trophies and plants which are not easy for the revenue officials and border authorities to detect.

At a recent workshop held in Uganda, which was organized by the Uganda Wildlife Authority and the Lusaka Agreement Task Force, the Assistant Commissioner for Enforcement, Mr. Enoch Walugembe pointed out the fact that poaching and illegal trading in flora and fauna has increased significantly as indicated by the confiscations most of which are on the endangered list of wildlife and others are threatened species. These include chameleons, snakes, ivory, monkeys, chimpanzees, elephants, plant species and bush meat to mention but a few. Mr. Enoch called upon all stakeholders to join hands with the law enforcement agents and put to a halt this escalation in wildlife crime. The Assistant Commissioner also pointed out that over 300 grammes of 12 elephant tusks that had been properly worked were seized at the eastern border crossing town of Busia in 2006 July from a Chinese national.

To regulate the trading in wildlife in this beautiful pearl of Africa, the government has licensed 10 companies and they include On Tour Uganda, Hasena Investments Uganda limited, Sam’s Restaurant Cinnamon Grill Limited (SMICO), Navira Exports, Skin Craft Industries Limited, SS Breeding Farm and Tropical Fauna Limited. However, most of the breeding farm programmes for captive wildlife in Uganda are still in their infancy stages according to Mr. Samuel Amanya.

A report by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) indicates that between 1989 – 2000 there has been over 7000 seizures worldwide of trafficked elephant ivory of approximately 200 tons. In Uganda alone, law enforcement agencies have been able to seize over 3.3 tons of ivory through its eastern border crossing of the town of Malaba.

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