Animal Conservation.
Print ISSN 1367-9430
LETTER FROM THE CONSERVATION FRONT LINE
Tanzania needs up-to-date poaching data to help manage
its wildlife populations
A. Eustace
Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority, Zonal Anti-Poaching Unit of Serengeti, Bunda, Tanzania
Correspondence
Abraham Eustace, Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority, Zonal Anti-Poaching Unit of Serengeti, P.O. Box 454 Bunda, Mara, Tanzania.
Email: abrah15@gmail.com
doi: 10.1111/acv.12376
Across the tropical world, there is a dearth of data on poaching
activity and its impact on different ecosystems; as a result,
poaching receives little attention from conservation stakehold-
ers (Lindsey et al., 2013). In Tanzania, for example, although
data on elephants and rhinos have been released by researchers
and NGOs, the majority of Tanzanians still know nothing
about how poaching is threatening elephant and rhino popula-
tions (Wild Aid 2015). There is the slogan that ‘in every
15 min one elephant is killed’; this slogan has been used for
some years, and it is time to bring it up-to-date data – what if
now one elephant is poached every 5 min, or 1 h, or day or weeks?
At the 10th Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute
(TAWIRI) Conference in 2015, several presenters pointed
out that poaching in Tanzania is increasingly focusing on
elephants and rhinos. The Director of the African Wildlife
Foundation Arusha posed the question to all participants ‘to
what extent has poaching increased in Tanzania?’ At the end
of the conference none of the participants had responded to
that question. I asked several participants why we have no
poaching data from Tanzania, and most replied that the orga-
nizations that hold poaching data do not release them, even
if asked. I have been looking for current poaching data in
Tanzania and have found that most scientists focus on ele-
phant or rhino poaching or poaching in specific areas, espe-
cially areas adjacent to protected areas. Other scientists have
focused on illegal bushmeat hunting, also generally in areas
adjacent to protected areas. Most scientists did not provide
data, for example, on how many poachers were arrested and/
or sentenced. Data related to poaching in Tanzania was only
readily available on the Wildlife Division (WD) website
(www.wildlife.go.tz), which includes data on poachers
arrested, patrols conducted, ivory and rhino horns seized and
wildlife cases prosecuted, including resolved and unresolved
cases. Unfortunately, the data published on the WD website
are from 2000 to 2010, and recent data on poaching in Tan-
zania are lacking.
Current data on poaching are essential in order to under-
stand what is happening in Tanzania and to help inform
what can be done about it. For example, the Tanzanian gov-
ernment has invested a significant amount of resources to
combat poaching, including employing law enforcement
Animal Conservation 21 (2018) 181–182. ª 2017 The Zoological Society of London
staff, buying patrol vehicles and allocating money for differ-
ent anti-poaching activities (Ministry of Natural Resources
and Tourism (MNRT) 2014; United Nations Educational,
Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) 2017).
Poaching data would play a significant role in evaluating
what has been achieved through these investments. Also, to
increase motivation for those of us who work on the anti-
poaching frontline, data on poaching are also essential. The
data would tell us how well we are performing.
Non-governmental organizations have been helping the
country to combat poaching. For example, since December
2014, The Frankfurt Zoological Society has helped the
Selous Game Reserve and the Serengeti National Park anti-
poaching operations with resources such as aerial and ground
patrols (MNRT, 2014; UNESCO, 2017). Providing current
poaching data can help inform these stakeholders as to what
has been achieved in combatting poaching. Also, current
data, especially related to how many poachers have been
arrested, the sentences given to poachers, the area in which
the poachers were arrested, and which animals are highly
poached would play a significant role in changing public
attitudes toward poaching.
The Tanzanian government, through its institutions such
as the WD, the Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority
(TAWA), the Tanzania National Parks Authority (TANAPA),
Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority (NCAA) and
TAWIRI should compile and release current data on poach-
ing. To organize and release this data in an efficient and
transparent manner might be challenging, and therefore local,
regional and international scientists, as well as conservation
stakeholders, should give their assistance. Slobodian et al.
(2016) analyzed wildlife-related court cases in the Tanzania
mainland and the data are now openly available online at
www.wildlex.org. Conservation practitioners in Tanzania
would be very grateful if somebody can replicate the Slobo-
dian et al. (2016) study and provide a database of poaching
data for the whole of Tanzania. I am not discouraging area-
specific data, but countrywide data are vital. The majority of
Tanzanians are not aware that elephant and rhino populations
are in decline (Wild Aid 2015), hence the data on poaching
should be widely published both locally and internationally.
181
Poaching data
Acknowledgments
I thank Thomas Hesselberg for reviewing this article before
submission. I also appreciate the support from Elina Ranta-
nen and the Editor Iain Gordon.
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Animal Conservation 21 (2018) 181–182 ª 2017 The Zoological Society of London