The proposed hippo cull in Zambia’s world-renowned Luangwa Valley has a dodgy tender process at its core and appears to be an attempt by Zambian Government to cover up a contract-gone-wrong.
This is according to a source close to the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), saying the Department was sued by Mabwe Adventures Limited, the hunting company contracted to execute the cull. A recent court ruling in Mabwe’s favour fueled the Department’s sudden backtracking on its 2016 anti-cull decision in order to avoid paying compensation, the source says.
Zambian Minister of Tourism and Arts Charles Banda confirmed that a contract entered into with Mabwe Adventures in 2015 was still valid, even though operations of the then Zambian Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) were taken over by the DNPW under the Ministry of Tourism and Arts.
The contract was awarded to Mabwe under suspicious circumstances. Zambia’s 2017 Parastatal Report notes not only an irregularity with the Mabwe tender, but also confirms that a sum of 81 108 Kwacha (about R110 000) was paid to ZAWA by Mabwe.
The report instructed ZAWA, now the DNPW, “to desist from willfully disregarding Government procedures [and] to submit the report of the hippo culling exercise indicating the number of hippos culled as well as the supporting documentation showing the amounts paid to ZAWA for audit verification, after which the matter is recommended for closure.”
The local Luangwa Safari Association (LSA) also raised concern over the suspicious tender in a letter to the Ministry of Tourism and Arts last year, saying local safari authorities and associations weren’t “aware of any public Tender Advertisement for culling of hippos”. According to the DNPW source, local wildlife authorities within the Luangwa region are still working to void the culling contract for not following the legal channels, and for not considering any scientific of conservation management research.
The decision to cull will effectively allow South African trophy hunters into the world famous Luangwa Valley to hunt at least 1250 animals – 250 hippos annually for the next five years until 2022.
According to Banda, the “reason for [the] culling of hippos is to control the hippo population on the Luangwa River so as to maintain a suitable habitat for other aquatic species and wildlife in general.” An outbreak of anthrax, combined with low rainfall, also contributed to the DNPW’s decision to cull.
Scientists including those from Zambia’s own Wildlife Authority disagree.
A paper published in the International Journal of Biodiversity and Conservation in 2013 by Dr Chansa Chomba, who headed up the Department of Research, Planning, Information and Veterinary Services for ZAWA at the time, concluded that culls are ineffective in controlling hippo populations. In fact, the research found that culling rather stimulated the population growth in Luangwa.
“The act of culling removes excess males and frees resources for the remaining females, leading to increased births […] rather than suppressing population growth rate”, the scientific and peer-reviewed research states.
The claim of an ‘anthrax threat’ also falls short. Local conservation groups say “there is little evidence that culling will have any effect on a seasonal resurgence of anthrax. In a year when rainfall levels and vegetation growth have been normal, there is no proof that a cull of healthy animals would prevent any future anthrax outbreaks.”
Hunting authorities in the region are concerned, saying the “so-called cull is in direct contrast with all safari hunting concessions along the Luangwa Valley.” According to the Safari Hunting Concession agreement, stakeholders are not legally allowed to invite external parties into their territories for commercial hunting.
Mabwe Adventures founder and owner Leon Joubert states, however, that the hunting of the hippo would effectively be taking place in the river, which isn’t within the boundaries of the National Park or hunting concessions. He states that “if the National Parks want to hunt in the National Park, they can hunt in the river.”
The precedent set by this mass-slaughter in a supposedly protected National Park will blur the boundaries of conservation efforts in the National Parks of not only Zambia, but the rest of Africa. “The negative consequences for thousands of hippo and Zambia’s reputation as a wildlife tourism destination cannot be underestimated,” Born Free warns.
Marcel Arzner, a frequent and long-term photographic safari client who has spent thousands over the past three years on trips to the region, cancelled his upcoming visit due to the cull. “My cancelation will be followed by many others. The negative impact on Zambia’s tourism industry will be disastrous”.
Hippos are currently listed as “Vulnerable” on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
Umlilo Safaris, a South African hunting company, is currently advertising the hunt to clients on behalf of Mabwe Adventures, Joubert confirms. The company boasts how clients can shoot five hippos per trip and keep the animals’ tusks. Each hunter will be charged up to $14 000 for five hippos, according to their Facebook site.
Banda and the Zambian Tourism Ministry has provided no adequate justification for the cull, spuriously condemning conservation NGO’s for not opposing the actions during a previous hunting spree from 2011 to 2016.
Source:IOL news
PF is rotten to the core. Why cant they export these animals to other areas in Africa were they are scarce? Some big fish are reaping from this escapade. Why is everything going wrong for these nincompoops? Corruption has reached their veins.
Someone yesterday here guessed right.
Everything is wrong.
Even jets was a deal gone wrong. Wonder how much have those Russian has gone away with.
Fire trucks was worst tender ever or exposed. Still shocking.
Please please please just consider temperally closing the PF-GOVERNMENT. Ba Edgar need to go in fasting for 40 days in Mfuwe, then come back with new life. I feel sorry for such a nice guy.
It’s NOT calling for impeachment, NO. It’s just wisdom.
Fire trucks is just the tip of the iceberg, unfortunately.
The exact amount of graft and abuse is way beyond what we think.
But, like anything that is done in the dark, it will be revealed one day.
Sata must be fuming in his grave.
I yesterday mentioned that this was a corrupt tender and I would post the link to the story that was published in the Star in SA, the morning I attached the link and LT had the link I attached in moderation up to now and I just see the story I attached which has been published above by LT as you can see the source is IOL. Any way this was all corrupt from the beginning and anything these guys touch is corrupt to the core as you can see from the story above the minister was involved there is even a cut for Jonathan, there is no way that prick doesn’t know what’s going on
Mapatizya Formula is the UPND official policy of trying to sway public opinion and win sympathy by throwing a kitchen sink at the duly elected government of Zambia so that people may think the government is evil. It is motivated by anger and bitterness by a five time presidential candidate loser, a TONGA who leads what many experts believe is a TRIBAL organisation masquerading as a Party. In their thirst for power they use underhand methods to win sympathy but HH, also known as UNDER FIVE, is not popular in Zambia and is UNELECTABLE which means the formula will NEVER work.
Kulila mwiibala baba Banda. Kudyela pa ntchito
HH worked in the Privatization Hibala.
Hippo cull scandal ,firetrucks scandal,social transfer scandal,mukula logs scandal,eSwatini mansion,luxury jet scandal …PF & Lungu are looking like a factory of corruption,grand larceny and abuse.
We need to cull Lungu and the PF not the hippos, their graft and abuse stinks worse than pit latrines.
We know this is targeted at culling Chishimba Kambwili who is the Chief Hippopotamus…..
No if HH is culled it will be equally good for the nation because the nation will enjoy peace and tranquility HAGAIN.
@5 … what a silly joke
andal after scandal………. spoilt kids running the government
Scandal after Scandal and we will continue to expose them, unless they think we can`t, you can not fight the masses, pompwe Jonathan and his friend have transported PF kaponya`s from Zambia to fight the UPND protest against corruption at the Zambian embassy in SA tomorrow…… will keep you posted on the developments
Lungu please to be so heartless even to animals.U’ll never enjoy the money.Can listern n cancel the tender please.let us just move these hippos to other areas in Zambia
The decision to cull will effectively allow South African trophy hunters into the world famous Luangwa Valley to hunt at least 1250 animals – 250 hippos annually for the next five years until 2022.
95 percent of the Zambian citizens have never even tasted game meat yet its being wasted here for they are just interested in the tusks
Lazy Lungu will not stop ..very soon it will be selling your daughters into prostitution!!
Lazy bum illiterate tribal hooligan bully chairman of online Mapatizya Formula of the Tribal H-organisation UPND and son of a tribal polygamist Father who never taught him toilet training pooping in public HAGAIN in need of a diaper HAGAIN.
There should be a death sentence on trophy hunting. There is no justification whatsoever to kill animals for fun.
we need to cull chikambwili the neck stinks like a decomposed pig
Trophy hunting is legal …why do you think we are against your govt’s policies..when Masebo banned trophy hunting for big cats the elite who benefits were up in arms …today we have thieves for leaders who would sell their mothers for a song.
I think HAZALUZA HAGAIN.
This government is so incompetent, it can’t even do corruption right.
Spuds
Just imagine nakumba nanzelu vya kangiwa,Sata anavichosa kuti ivi vibantu?And the price they are now paying is that one has to be an 1diot to enjoy this kind of wealth,infact most of it must have gone to women,nangu chimodzi kupangako factory or industry cha chitako employ bantu nikisi…
When has that Lazy thing refused to approve anything ..everything the bring to him he approves
HH is so incompetent a thief that he shipped money to a tax haven in Panama thinking that Zambians would NEVER know.
Lazy bum illiterate hooligan bully son of a tribal polygamist father pooping in public HAGAIN and in need of a diaper HAGAIN.
When anyone replies to a matter before he hears the facts, it’s foolish and humiliating. Do you think the DNPW, the Ant-corruption Commission, Attorney General, Government and the Courts… were not knowledgeable??? People think they are smart but when the truth comes out they look foolish and mislead. From 2016 up to date, y didn’t they cancel if it was corrupt and procedure was not followed???
JUST CASTRATE MALE HIPPOS VILEKE KUNYENGA, THEN THE EXCESS WE TAKE THEM TO OUR MOTHER COUNTRY , CHINA
If we could castrate the male cows in Namwala’s Animo Farm, we would definitely get rid of MAD COW DISEASE.
NEW SCANDAL EVERYDAY!!
Writing the UN by a little Professor Hansoni on matters involving a nation on a private University letterhead and writing China as though you are a government but you are just a Paramount Chief of Namwala is really what SCANDALS look like. But because we think TRIBE first and ISSUE second, we cannot tell the difference.
We can increase tours to other sites by transferring those hippos to other sites like mweru, Bangweulu among others.
When anyone replies to a matter before he hears the facts, it’s foolish and humiliating. This contract was suspended for more than 2 years, do you think the DNPW, Ant-Corruption commission, Attorney General, Government, and the Court, were not knowledgeable to clear the contract???
Who got the money and who paid???
The stupid ones will believe every word, a liar looks smart before the truth z revealed.
Am afraid to buy a new S9 Smart phone…………….you guys will definitely suspect me of a deal gone right……
……….and ever since I started going to the gym with my wife on Monday she has lost interest………….WTF!