Tanzania is doing the wildlife equivalent of eating neighbour Kenya’s children. And Namibia and Zimbabwe are both doing something right with their wildlife, but that is wrong at the same time.
For 50 years, trophy hunting has been banned in Kenya. However, it is permitted in Tanzania, after a ban was lifted six years ago. But there is the political question of the Kenya-Tanzania border. The Amboseli National Park and ranges span about 30,000 square kilometres across Kenya and Tanzania and are home to more than 2,000 elephants.
There are no wildlife IDs or passports, and wildlife are great East African integrationists so they go back and forth freely. In that spirit, Kenyan elephants went to hang out, as they have done for ages, on the Tanzanian side. At least five bulls from a Kenyan wildlife reserve are reported to have been shot and killed in Tanzania by hunters in recent months. Some of them were super tuskers; elephants with massive tusks. Wildlife scientists say they are among the last gene pools for large tusks, so allowing them to be killed could potentially wipe out their genetic line.
Kenyan and international conservationists are very upset about it all. And, as someone remarked, it is akin to eating a neighbour’s child who crossed the fence to play with your children — who are her friends.
It is a tough time to be an elephant — and hippopotamus — especially in southern Africa, which is experiencing the region’s worst drought in nearly 100 years. In early September, the Namibian government announced plans to slaughter 83 elephants and 640 other wild animals to feed some of its 1.4 million people, about half of the country’s population, who are facing severe food insecurity.
Hunting wild animals
Before the storm over the Namibian slaughter calmed down, not too far up the road, on Tuesday, Zimbabwe announced that it plans to kill 200 elephants to feed people facing acute hunger. This could be very bad because the situation in both Namibia and Zimbabwe is expected to get worse over the next one to two months.
Conservationists have denounced these actions, and some economists have argued that it is not sustainable. Within weeks, all the elephants in the two countries could be eaten, then what?
But there are many supporters too. Religious people are quoting the Bible where, in Genesis, the good Lord says “Everything that moves, everything that is alive, is yours for food. Earlier I gave you the green plants, but now I give you everything for food”.
Supporters also say that because their pasture and water have dried out considerably, the animals are going to die anyway, so slaughtering them is mercy killing, and doing something noble with their flesh rather than just leaving it to rot and be eaten by vultures.
From a pragmatic point of view, this is sensible. However, it says something troubling about us. We cannot, surely, in 2024, with all the progress we have made and great leaps of science available to us, be hunting wild animals like our forefathers and mothers 300 years ago in times of a climate and food crisis.
Find creative solutions
Additionally, the timing couldn’t have come at a worse time. Tanzanian wildlife hunts and the Namibian and Zimbabwe culls have something in common. Often, the animals that are considered legitimate to kill in hunts are the “useless” ones; older males deemed unable to sire quality offspring anymore, female ones that cannot breed, and those too weak to hunt. They are extra baggage.
This is the same logic that drives witch hunts, common in countries like Tanzania, where in times of famine or drought, older people have been accused of being witches who are keeping the rain away or cursing the harvest, and killed. In the Democratic Republic of Congo, children are denounced as “demons” and eliminated. The real purpose of these witch hunts is to remove from the table the mouths communities think are not contributing enough in times of scarcity and to seize their land and gardens for those considered more deserving. It is fascism at the worst.
If governments didn’t think about these problems like we were still living in caves, they would find creative solutions. Some could be as simple as creating online and offline trades for wildlife. How much is the value of a fully-grown elephant? In 2019, elephants were sold to overseas countries for between $13,500 and $41,500 each. In an open auction, they would have brought in more.
Put all the elephants destined for slaughter up for auction, but one can pay the price in food, water equipment, or even funding their relocation to places that aren’t hit by drought. In today’s environment, the auction would bring enough money, food and water infrastructure to enable communities and wildlife to weather this rough patch. Then, ensure that the politicians don’t steal it all for themselves.
In the end, it’s about governance, stupid!
The author is a journalist, writer, and curator of the “Wall of Great Africans”. Twitter@cobbo3
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Air Tanzania Banned From EU Airspace Due to Safety Concerns
Several airports have since locked Air Tanzania, dealing a severe blow to the Tanzanian national carrier that must now work overtime to regain its certification or go the wet lease way
The European Commission has announced the inclusion of Air Tanzania on the EU Air Safety List, effectively banning the airline from operating in European airspace.
The decision, made public on December 16, 2024, is based on safety concerns identified by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which also led to the denial of Air Tanzania’s application for a Third Country Operator (TCO) authorisation.
The Commission did not go into the specifics of the safety infringement but industry experts suggest it is possible that the airline could have flown its Airbus A220 well past its scheduled major checks, thus violating the airworthiness directives.
“The decision to include Air Tanzania in the EU Air Safety List underscores our unwavering commitment to ensuring the highest safety standards for passengers in Europe and worldwide,” said Apostolos Tzitzikostas, EU Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism.
“We strongly urge Air Tanzania to take swift and decisive action to address these safety issues. I have offered the Commission’s assistance to the Tanzanian authorities in enhancing Air Tanzania’s safety performance and achieving full compliance with international aviation standards.”
Air Tanzania has a mixed fleet of modern aircraft types including Boeing 787s, 737 Max jets, and Airbus A220s.
It has been flying the B787 Dreamliner to European destinations like Frankfurt in Germany and Athens in Greece and was looking to add London to its growing list with the A220.
But the ban not only scuppers the London dream but also has seen immediate ripple effect, with several airports – including regional like Kigali and continental – locking out Air Tanzania.
Tanzania operates KLM alongside the national carrier.
The European Commission said Air Tanzania may be permitted to exercise traffic rights by using wet-leased aircraft of an air carrier which is not subject to an operating ban, provided that the relevant safety standards are complied with.
A wet lease is where an airline pays to use an aircraft with a crew, fuel, and insurance all provided by the leasing company at a fee.
Two more to the list
The EU Air Safety List, maintained to ensure passenger safety, is updated periodically based on recommendations from the EU Air Safety Committee.
The latest revision, which followed a meeting of aviation safety experts in Brussels from November 19 to 21, 2024, now includes 129 airlines.
Of these, 100 are certified in 15 states where aviation oversight is deemed insufficient, and 29 are individual airlines with significant safety deficiencies.
Alongside Air Tanzania, other banned carriers include Air Zimbabwe (Zimbabwe), Avior Airlines (Venezuela), and Iran Aseman Airlines (Iran).
Commenting on the broader implications of the list, Tzitzikostas stated, “Our priority remains the safety of every traveler who relies on air transport. We urge all affected airlines to take these bans seriously and work collaboratively with international bodies to resolve the identified issues.”
In a positive development, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has been cleared to resume operations in the EU following a four-year suspension. The ban, which began in 2020, was lifted after substantial improvements in safety performance and oversight by PIA and the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA).
“Since the TCO Authorisation was suspended, PIA and PCAA have made remarkable progress in enhancing safety standards,” noted Tzitzikostas. “This demonstrates that safety issues can be resolved through determination and cooperation.”
Another Pakistani airline, Airblue Limited, has also received EASA’s TCO authorisation.
Decisions to include or exclude airlines from the EU Air Safety List are based on rigorous evaluations of international safety standards, particularly those established by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).
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The process involves thorough review and consultation among EU Member State aviation safety experts, with oversight from the European Commission and support from EASA.
“Where an airline currently on the list believes it complies with the required safety standards, it can request a reassessment,” explained Tzitzikostas. “Our goal is not to penalize but to ensure safety compliance globally.”
Airlines listed on the EU Air Safety List face significant challenges to their international operations, as the bans highlight shortcomings in safety oversight by their home regulatory authorities.
For Air Tanzania, this inclusion signals an urgent need for reform within Tanzania’s aviation sector to address these deficiencies and align with global standards.
The path forward will require immediate and sustained efforts to rectify safety concerns and regain access to one of the world’s most critical aviation markets.
Source: allafrica.com
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