LILONGWE, Malawi, April 2 (MaraviPost) _The Government of Malawi has joined the international community in commemorating this year’s World Wildlife Day. In Malawi, the commemorations started with a match against wildlife crimes from Bingu International Conference Centre (BICC) to Parliament Building in Lilongwe where His Excellency President Professor Peter Mutharika is expected to grace the event.
Prior to the commemorations, Government had planned to burn 4 tonnes of seized ivory but postponed the burning because it was advised that another 2.6 tonnes of ivory was still in the system as exhibits awaiting conclusion of cases which are pending in the courts.
Brighton Kumchedwa, Director of Parks and Wildlife, described wildlife conservation in Malawi as “heading towards a crisis”.
In Malawi the elephant population has drastically declined from over 4,000 in the 1980s to about 2,000, according to the Department of Parks and Wildlife.
Jonathan Vaughan, Director of Lilongwe Wildlife Trust, said the four tonnes that were scheduled to be burnt equated to about 500 elephants. He said in a statement the stockpile included those seized from smugglers who poached the elephants in neighbouring Tanzania, Zambia and Mozambique.
“Malawi is being targeted as a transit route by traffickers moving over 500 kilogrammes at a time,” he said.
Vaughan said in the past five years there has been at least 36 seizures of between five and 100 kilogrammes at the southern African country’s airports.
However, Government says it remains committed to fight wildlife crime, including protection of iconic species of elephants and rhinos, which are key for tourism promotion in Malawi.
“It is important that the entire stockpile of ivory is destroyed once and for all,” said a statement from government.-MaraviPost
