Minister of Tourism and Arts Charles Banda says the range for cheetah is slowly contracting and now has mostly remained in protected areas found on the western side of Zambia such as Liuwa, Kafue and Sioma-Ngwezi national parks.
Dr. Banda says it is sad to note that cheetah has not been seen in South Luangwa national park for almost a decade now while only one male cheetah was spotted in the lower Zambezi national park in that period.
He said wild dog on the other hand has a wider distribution than cheetah but still reducing because they are facing threats of disease, poaching and deliberate if not indirect snaring.
Dr. Banda was speaking during the launch of the strategic Rhino Conservation and Management Plan 2019-2023 and the Cheetah and Wild dog National Action Plan.
He said the Zambian government recognizes that cheetah and wild dog are not only important to the ecological functions of our protected areas, but to tourism development as well and are charismatic species that are part of the top five large carnivores found in Zambia together with hyena, leopard and lion.
Dr. Banda said as such they help to draw tourists to this country and therefore have an important place in the promotion of tourism in Zambia.
And Dr. Banda who disclosed that only three Rhinos have been lost in the last decade said government is therefore concerned about the two species diminishing.
He said his Ministry also recognizes that cheetah and wild dog have common behavior and face similar threats hence the development of a joint national conservation action plan for the two species.
Dr. Banda said the national conservation action plan for cheetah and wild dog like the rhino strategy is also in line with the seventh national development plan as it supports tourism development through restocking of identified national parks.
He said this plan will be implemented under five themes namely; capacity development, knowledge and information, information transfer, coexistence, land use, political commitment, policy and legislation, and national planning.
Dr. Banda said it will provide overall management guidance in a number of strategies that will be used to achieve the objectives under the five themes.
So Bwana Minister, HOW will the newly launched joint national conservation plan help to restore the Cheetah and Wild Dog populations? Often times we have very good papers that are crafted by people that hardly work on the ground and thus when it comes to implementation everything ends in workshops trips abroad and nothing is done on the ground!!
3 years ago Jean Kapata and her PF with blessings from humble Edgar Lungu authorised the hunting of the big cats, lions, Cheetahs, leopards. This is what happens when a cabinet is full of dunderheads
Boers fly in at will and collect these animals to order….PF is too corrupt to manage such things ZAWA should have been a Trust debunked from govt.
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Very sad development! Time to undertake some human intervention by artificial and controlled breeding. It is sad to say , Dr. Banda, that your colleagues in PF do not care about this country and its natural resources. It is all about economic sangwapo. Interrogate the depletion of the Chetah and other species all you will find are illegal deals or sheer abnegation of responsibility. Thanks for your concern though! Knowing your PF friends and their love for illicit money, that is not of interest to them. No wonder the cousin of the Cheetah, Imbwili was seen in Roan in Luashya roaming and now it will be seen in Parliament to devour them.
How will the five themes contained in the conservation national policy action plan help in restocking the two endangered species? Can the action plan be availed to the general public?
When Silva banned big cat hunting they protested now this coconut is wondering where Cheetahs have disappeared to
Zambia is a Bamba Zonke Republic where anyone can fly into our parks, get as many animals as they want and fly out with or without our knowledge. It’s not surprising! We are not a serious people in everything. While we are busy politicking at the expense of development, the clever ones are busy robbing us!
Look at how we choose our leaders, no seriousness at all! We do it like we are supporting Manchester United or their rivals! Zambia is a lost country and yet so blessed in resources! Is this not the curse of Deuteronomy 28 – Starving before plenty?
This foooool is wondering where Cheetahs are…he should go to middle east they use them for pets and pay top dollar for them…Boers are good bush pilots they fly in these game parks steal game to order and fly them back to their range in SA.
If you fail to Manage something, God will take it away from you! Man is created to be a manager, a steward!
Cheetahs has not been seen for a decade he says whilst sitting in his office…have conducted investigations to the area. You don’t know what’s in the wild yet still issue hunting permits.
This is sad reading. We never had this problem before PF came into power.
Po.rn minister
I don’t know why this angle still makes a story. I grew up in the Chongololo club in the 80s and the story was always about cheetahs population contracting. So what’s new now that Banda says the same thing 30 years later? Aren’t our reporters lazy?
Sounds like it’s safer to take a walk outside now in village areas!
Seriously, why not rear some endangered animals in zoos and release them back into the wild? At least that’s the reason Westerners give when they take animals away from their natural habitats into freezing weather conditions.