Tanzania offers licences for wildlife breeders

Tanzania through the Ministry of Natural Resources is now offering licences to those looking to breed and keep wildlife in a bid to attract wildlife investors, including ranch operators and wildlife farms.

In a notice issued last week, Tanzania Wildlife Authority (Tawa) said individuals and other parties looking to keep wildlife can now apply for the wildlife breeding licence.

Tawa said the licence will be issued for parties looking to establish zoos, wildlife farms, breeding sites and ranches.

The Wildlife Authority is accepting applications over the next 45 days. It will also only be for breeding wildlife in the country and not for export. Tawa added that there will be no permits for live wildlife exporters.

Live export ban

Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Constantine Kanyasu said that exports of live wildlife will be restricted to control poaching and cheating in wildlife and trophy dealers.

He said that the Ministry of Natural Resources is working to review the Wildlife Conservation Act 2009 in order to impose a total ban on the export of wild animals.

“The ban which has been in place for three years will not be lifted,” he said.

Establishment of ranches and other wildlife farms would help reduce the increasing number of animals living in protected areas.

After the introduction of paramilitary anti-poaching operations, the number of wildlife in Tanzania has increased in protected national parks, conservation areas and open game reserves.

The Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute estimates that the country has about half of Africa’s lion population, at between 14,000 to 16,000 lions in protected wildlife parks.

The number of hippos and crocodiles have also increased, endangering people and damaging farms.

The Ministry of Natural Resources is in the final stages of drafting regulation that would authorise wildlife conservation officers in auctioning of crocodiles and hippos living in rivers, lakes and dams near local communities