ULTIMATE
AFRICA SAFARIS
Ultimate Africa travel and wildlife news archive February 2000 Kenya Airways Plane Crashes, February 6 2000 A Kenya Airways jet carrying 179 people crashed into the Atlantic Ocean after takeoff last Sunday, January 30, 2000. At least 10 people survived. The plane, an Airbus 310, took off from Abidjan at 9:08 P.M. Sunday into relatively clear skies. The flight originated out of Nairobi, Kenya, and was to have landed in Lagos that afternoon. But because of bad weather, it went on to Abidjan, the Ivory Coast's main commercial city. One Nigerian survivor who was plucked from the water said the plane was having problems immediately after takeoff. "It wasn't quite balanced, and the next thing we knew we were in the water," Samuel Ogbada Adje said, wrapped in a blanket at Abidjan's port. Kenya Airways said the 179 people on board consisted of 168 passengers and 11 crew. Airline officials declined to speculate on what caused the crash, but Kenya Airways Technical Director Steve Clarke, speaking in Nairobi, said "there were no technical problems of any significance." The A310-300 is a 202-seat, wide-bodied plane, Kenya Airways officials said. Airbus said the plane that crashed had accumulated about 58,000 flight hours in 15,000 flights and was delivered from the production line in September 1986. Sunday's crash was the first such disaster for Kenya Airways, which has been operating since 1977, Clarke said. KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is the company's largest shareholder with a 26% stake. Kenya Airways to Buy Planes, February 6 2000 Kenya Airways Board will be undertaking a major investment program involving the purchase of new aircraft. The airlines chairman, Mr. Isaac Omolo Okero, said "I am confident that the traveling public will be delighted by the level of comfort and reliability of service that our new aircraft types will allow us to deliver." The investment will be spread over five years and will add to Kenya Airways' fleet as the airline business grows and older aircraft are replaced. The airline selected Boeing B767-300 aircraft to gradually replace the existing Airbus A310 fleet. The chairman continued "I expect that the number of aircraft in the fleet will almost double over the next decade." Kenyan President to Leave in 2002, February 6 2000 Kenyan President Moi has noted that he would retire and hand over power to a successor come the next elections. Although he did not name the successor, he told a battery of local and international journalists that he would not cling to power. "I have been saying that in the year 2002, I will retire and leave Kenyans united," he said. He said people thought that the situation in the country would change with his exit, but he maintained that things would remain the same. "I love Kenyans and they have helped me throughout my life (as president) and I want to leave them united," he said. The Head of State made the announcement during a rare press conference at State House, Nairobi. He was responding to a question on the progress of the ongoing negotiations with the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank. "I am a believer in democracy and I want to leave a legacy in this country where people live together, as you know Kenya is split up along tribal lines... you cannot run a civil service with tribal servants," he added. Tanzania Seeks to Tap Continent’s Tourism Potential, February 6 2000 Tanzania is hoping to capture a bigger slice of the African continent's tourism trade, industry officials say. Tourism is billed to be Tanzania’s leading foreign exchange earner after minerals and agriculture by 2001. A national tourism policy, whose principal objective is to provide strategies necessary for tourism development, has recently been unveiled. The new tourism policy is centered on diversification of products, environmental protection, private sector participation, community involvement and favorable investment environment. Further, the government has drawn an Integrated Master Plan that provide guidelines on the development of the tourism industry. Emphasis, according to Tanzanian President Mkapa, is to be on environmental protection. "Each tourism development project to be carried out has to undergo a prior Environmental Impact Assessment in order to minimize hazards to the environment," he said in a recent interview. More than 482,331 tourists visited Tanzania in 1999, a 34% increase over the previous year. By the end of 2000, tourist arrivals are expected to surpass a 500,000 target. Most of the tourists are from Europe, the US, Japan, South Africa and Korea. Currently, tourism contributes 18.5% of the country's GDP and 50% of its annual foreign exchange earnings. The sector employs 35,000 workers and it's growing at 11.4%, and revenue collections are increasing at 23.3% a year. South Africa Fast Becoming Top Tourist Destination, February 13 2000 The World Tourism Organization has ranked South Africa 25th on its list of the 40 most popular tourist destinations in the world. Ten years ago, South Africa was ranked 55th. France, Spain and the US head the list. Congo's Gorillas Marked for Extinction because of Politics, February 13 2000 The gorillas in the Congo's Kahuzi-Biega National Park are allegedly close to extinction due to hidden political agendas of the Rwanda government. The park, one of the last remaining gorilla sanctuaries in the world, have miraculously survived the Congo’s' political upheavals and wars. However, three years ago Rwanda invaded this part of the Congo. The Rwanda-backed government has disarmed the park rangers and left the poachers free to slaughter gorillas and other wildlife in the park. Three years ago there were 280 gorillas in the Park. Today only 99 remain. It is estimated that only one gorilla out of 3 has survived Rwanda's military invasion of Congo three years ago. Only about twenty elephants are left, compared to 320 three years ago. The park rangers are still patrolling the park, but are helpless against the automatic rifles of the poachers. The Rwanda government is allegedly allowing poachers to eradicate the gorillas so that officials can seize the land once the park loses its conservation value. According to the news source, the Kahuzi-Biega seems to be a repeat of the situation in Rwanda's 6,000 square kilometer Akagera National Park. To avoid Western World outrage if the park was to be degazetted outright, it was destroyed gradually by the Rwanda government over the last 4 years. First the rangers were disarmed and poachers allowed to kill wildlife; then the army slaughtered the dangerous animals such as lions; then cattle owners with the correct political connection were allowed in; then the charcoal burners were allowed in to deforest the area; and step by step the land was unofficially but efficiently opened for settlers with the correct political connections. Finally when fauna and flora were all gone and the park was de facto not a park anymore, the bulk (75%) of the park was degazetted. Government ministers allegedly became rich landlords in the process. Tanzania Records increase in Elephant Population, February 13 2000 The Africa Resources Trust recently published an article on Tanzania's increasing elephant population. The article states that Tanzania’s elephant population has increased over the past nine years making the Selous Game Reserve (SGR) home to the biggest concentration of elephants in the world. According to research by the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI) as of October 1999, the elephant population in the reserve stood at about 60,000 up from 35,000 in 1990. There were 110,000 elephants in Tanzania in 1976. In the SGR and some other protected areas, the elephant population was reduced to as much as 25% of the 1976 figure while in some areas, it was completely wiped out. A 1996 census recorded a decrease, down to 60,000 and this was attributed to increased poaching incidences. The latest recorded increase in the elephant population is being attributed to good management plans instituted by the government and the international community in the early 1990s. The internal management measures include the elephant conservation program carried out on a countrywide basis in 1990 and "Operation Life" which resulted in the arrest of many poachers while large numbers of weapons used to poach were confiscated. Hunting of elephants has recently started in Tanzania. Additionally, there are several tons of ivory in stock that the government plans to sell. Japan is reported to have shown interest in purchasing them. New Computerized Model Charts Future of Wildlife, February 13 2000 A computer model that can project changes in the complex environment of East Africa will, for the first time, make valuable data available to citizens trying to cope with land-use questions and the management of wildlife. The computer model dubbed SAVANNA and funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development, has been 15 years in the making. Researchers in Kenya and the United States are now feeding data into the system that will help project ecosystem changes from five to 15 years for the vast plains of Kenya and Tanzania where Maasai cattle herders have co-existed with elephants, wildebeest and lions for centuries. In Africa, information on expected rainfall, population growth, public spending and tax revenues are seldom made available to the average citizen by those in power. Lack of access to reliable information cuts many people out of decisions that have direct impact on their future, said Robin Reid, a systems ecologist at the Nairobi-based International Livestock Research Institute. Reid was co-author of a report released last Wednesday titled "The SAVANNA Model: Providing Solutions for Wildlife Preservation and Human Development in East Africa and the Western United States." "Unless we have some good, objective information to put in front of decision-makers so that they can have another source ... to base their decisions on, then you'll never have anything beyond the politics in a given situation," said Reid. SAVANNA is the first model capable of tackling the full range of land-use options and policies facing government-protected areas. Threats to government-protected areas in East Africa include population growth, urbanization, poverty, poaching and political greed. Those factors have, among other things, led to an 85% decline in Kenya's elephant population between 1975 and 1990 to about 20,000 head. Reid said a Maasai leader in Tanzania told her his community's most vital need "is just the same information that everybody else has, that government ministries have, so that we actually can come to the table and have a conversation." Now Maasai herders will be able to sit down with game ranchers, safari operators and owners of lodges and tented camps in the Maasai Mara and Amboseli game reserves, turn on the computer and observe the short and long-term effects of using more of the land around the reserves to grow corn. SAVANNA also would tell the Maasai that the human population around the Maasai Mara reserve, which straddles Kenya and Tanzania, is growing by about 7% a year and that cultivated land increased 1,000% in 20 years. That growth automatically means poorer and reduced grazing for cattle -- and a reduction in wildlife outside the reserve. The research institute is holding training programs for Kenyans, Tanzanians and Ugandans to demonstrate the range of policy and management scenarios SAVANNA can tackle. Land added to Addo Elephant Park, February 13 2000 South Africa’s Addo Elephant National Park in the Eastern Cape was recently expanded by 11,500 hectares. The land purchase comprises part of the first phase towards establishing the proposed Greater Addo National Park as the third-largest conservation area in the world. The park's 314-strong elephant population would now be free to roam through the fresh terrain. The acquisition of the land was essential as the elephant population has doubled every 14 years and more room was needed. Zimbabwean Tour Operators Dispute Bad International Press, February 13 2000 With reference to the recent negative press reports published in English papers that Zimbabwe was experiencing a shortage of bread and basic commodities - this is totally untrue and is sensationalistic press reporting. There are no food shortages. With regards to petrol shortages the Zimbabwe government has recently secured US $100 million dollars worth of credit to alleviate any shortage. In a shortage situation the majority of top safari camp and lodge operations have made contingency plans and to be honest, except for a few, notably Zimbabwe Sun’s Kariba properties, the camps and lodges are all prepared with between 2 - 3 months of surplus supplies of both petrol and diesel. New legislation has been passed which allows a tourist based company to bring in bowsers of fuel with no tax restrictions. A fuel shortage therefore should not impact tourists travelling to the camps and lodges. With regards to air charter most clients travel aboard Sefofane which is an external based air charter company and they have noted that during a petrol shortage situation they can get aviation gas from Kasane, Botswana. Tennis Stars Visit Zimbabwe, February 13 2000 Tennis legends André Agassi and John McEnroe were recently in Zimbabwe for a tennis competition. Zimbabwe sport, in particular tennis and cricket, has recently enjoyed wide international media exposure, which has in turn, thrown the spotlight on the country as a leisure and investment destination. High Water Rafting has Begun at Victoria Falls, February 13 2000 As the Zambezi River water level rises at Victoria Falls and in the Batoka Gorge the section of the river on the Zimbabwean side (between rapids #1 to #9) becomes dangerous to raft. With clients safety in mind Safari Par Excellence has now started high water rafting. In Zimbabwe they will be running rapids #11 to #23. On the Zambian side of the river Safari Par Excellence rafting trips will run from rapid #11 to #25. Wilderness Safaris Guides / Concessions Featured in National Geographic, February 20 2000 Dave Hamman, who produced the book "Running Wild - Dispelling the Myths of the African Wild Dog", was the local guide to National Geographic’s photographer Chris Johns whose article on the cheetah made a recent front cover of the famous magazine. Many of the photographs featured in the article were taken at Wilderness’ Mombo and Vumbura properties including the front cover. A lot of the Wild dog photos in the May edition (also a front cover) were shot at Mombo Camp and Chitabe Camp as well. New Disney Film to Focus on Botswana and its Elephants, February 20 2000 Derek and Beverely Joubert, well known for their National Geographic documentaries "Eternal Enemies" and "Patterns in the Grass" etc, have been working on an exciting new project in Hollywood, California. They have spent the past three years on a full-length feature film for Disney. It is an elephant story shot with real footage, a first for Disney. Knowing the Jouberts and their ability to produce superb quality wildlife films, this should be an incredible movie. The film starts a limited release in the USA in March and if successful, will be a wonderful showpiece for Botswana and will be great for elephant conservation in general - besides being great entertainment. Hwange National Park Having Incredible Wildlife Viewing, February 20 2000 Wildlife viewing at Zimbabwe’s largest national park, Hwange, has been incredible during this southern Africa summer. There is plenty of plains game on the open plains. On one recent afternoon’s game drive, client’s saw elephant, buffalo, leopard, lion, wild dog, rhino, sable, roan, gemsbok and all the plains game! Matusadona Water Lodge and Water Wilderness Merge, February 20 2000 Matusadona Water Lodge has now been moved to the area where Water Wilderness is currently moored within Zimbabwe’s Matusadona National Park. The two camps will be jointly known as Water Wilderness. Both camps are identical - besides one being an 8 bedder and one being a 10 bedder. New Zimbabwe National Park Fees, February 20 2000 The Zimbabwe government has approved a new fee structure for entry to the country's national parks, doubling most charges for non-residents from US$10 to US$20. In an announcement last week, the government said the rates will come into effect on June 1, 2000. The increase will see entry fees for the Victoria Falls Rain Forest go from US $10 to US $20 per person. Fees for some of the country’s less popular attractions have been halved to US $5 per person. Better Protection for Zambia's Forests, February 20 2000 The Zambian government has adopted new measures to put a stop to deforestation and soil erosion that have ravaged the Zambian countryside for many years. In October 1999, Zambian President Frederick Chiluba signed the "Forests Act Number 7 of 1999" into law, opening the way for communities, traditional institutions and concerned environmental organizations to participate fully in the sustainable management, conservation and use of forests and trees. The new law allows communities, especially those living near national and local forests, to manage the forests through joint management committees. This will enable these communities to look after the forests and benefit directly from levies on trees cut and other forest resources. The permanent secretary for environment and natural resources, Jewette Masinja, said Zambia is losing 300,000 hectares of forest every year and if the habitat is allowed to deteriorate further, the country will lose both agricultural lands and wildlife sanctuaries. Zambia’s Songwe Point Village Sold, February 20 2000 In a recent development, the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge Tourism Group has agreed to sell Songwe Point Village to Kwando Wildlife Experience, based in Botswana. Coming on the back of the group’s recent announcement of its intention to sell Victoria Falls Safari Lodge, Ross Kennedy, director of the resort management company, commented: "It has become clear to us that in the likely event of the sale of Victoria Falls Safari Lodge during 2000, Songwe Point Village would become logistically difficult for us to operate and manage from a distance. It has been a challenge and a privilege to have been part of the development and it will hold special memories for us all." The VFSL Tourism Group established relations with Kwando some time ago while exploring the possibility of developing a regional circuit, incorporating Kwando’s Botswana properties. Kwando in turn began putting many of its clients into Songwe and, in late November 1999, approached Victoria Falls Safari Lodge about acquiring the property. Kwando took over the operations of Songwe Point Village from February 1, 2000 with the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge management team maintaining support during February for a month’s handover. By mutual agreement the Victoria Falls Safari Lodge will continue to take reservations for Songwe Point Village for the remainder of the year and has pledged to honor current rates Kwando, the new owners of Songwe Point Village, issued the following statement: "With its accent heavily on people and culture, the directors of Kwando Wildlife Experience see Songwe as complementing the game and wilderness experience we offer in Botswana. The extraordinary setting, the wonderful staff and the whole village atmosphere, all contribute to make Songwe a magical place. We feel privileged to be a part of the growing tourism in Zambia." Kenya’s Moi Airport Lights Are Restored, February 20 2000 Navigational lights were restored at the Moi international Airport in Mombasa yesterday after two nights of darkness. The airport had suspended night arrivals and departures. Kenya Airways to Introduce Boeings, February 20 2000 Kenya Airways has signed a letter of intent to take delivery of three Boeing 767-300 ER to replace its Airbus A310-300 fleet, effective summer 2001. In addition, at least four Boeing 737-700 will join the Kenya Airways fleet between June 2001 and February 2003. Early this week, Kenya Airways took delivery of one Boeing 767-300 on a wet lease arrangement with its strategic partner KLM, a Dutch airline, to replace the Airbus A310-300 which was lost in the recent accident in Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire. Chapman’s Peak Drive Closed for Repairs, February 20 2000 Chapman’s Peak Drive in Cape Town is closed to enable essential repair work to be carried out on the pass. Rocks have been falling onto the road. The repairs should last 4 months. Juvenile Elephants on Rhino Killing Spree, February 20 2000 According to environmental reporter Jill Gowans, delinquent juvenile elephants are killing rhinos in South Africa’s KwaZulu-Natal's Hluhluwe-Umfolozi Park. Juvenile elephants have killed 13 rhino between August and December last year. The elephants are orphans of elephants culled in the Kruger National Park. Their vicious behavior has been attributed to their growing up in Hluhluwe-Umfolozi park without parental supervision. Park authorities have now urgently requested the Kruger National Park to supply 10 bull elephants in the hope that they will be able to discipline the juveniles. Conservation Corporation / Afro Ventures Merger Approved, February 20 2000 The merger between two of Africa’s leading tourism entities, Conservation Corporation Africa and Afro Ventures was approved last week by the Competitions Commission of South Africa. The newly merged group, called CCAfrica, combines 26 private game lodges across six countries, a large tour operating division, an established destination management company for incentive itineraries, a mobile safari operation. The combined operations employ in excess of 3,000 staff. Air Zimbabwe Among Top Three, February 27 2000 Air Zimbabwe was the third best regional airline operating out of Zimbabwe in 1999, according to a poll of local travel agents who were asked to nominate companies that contributed to the growth of the country's tourism sector. The national airline bounced back at this year's Association of Zimbabwe Travel Agents (AZTA) awards to dislodge the Zimbabwe Express Airline (ZEA) as one of the region's top three carriers last year. South African Airways and Comair retained their positions as the best two southern African airlines operating from Zimbabwe, having won the awards in 1998. Air Zimbabwe was the 1997 winner of the best regional airline award but its performance later slumped under the weight of stiff competition from regional players and a generally unstable macroeconomic climate in the country. Zimbabwe's air transport sector has witnessed the entry of at least two new airlines since 1996, effectively reducing Air Zimbabwe's market share. The two, ZEA and Expeditions Airlines, have however failed to maintain the pressure on Air Zimbabwe during the past few years due to operational problems. Zimbabwe's tourism sector has leapt to become the country's third fastest growing industry and now accounts for about five percent of gross domestic product. The sector has largely ignored Zimbabwe's deepening economic crisis, which has persisted since 1997, a feat which lifted Zimbabwe to be among the top four tourist destinations among 170 countries surveyed last year by a global tourism magazine. Statistics from the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority show that tourist traffic to Zimbabwe grew by an average 18.5 percent in the decade to 1998 and that arrivals leapt 55 percent to two million in 1998 alone, with earnings surging 50 percent. EgyptAir Jet Crash-Lands in Zimbabwe, February 27 2000 An engine on an EgyptAir jet hit the runway and fell off the plane during a landing in bad weather at Harare airport, the night of February 22, 2000. There were no serious injuries reported among the 76 passengers. It was still unclear what went wrong during Flight 880's scheduled landing at Harare airport Tuesday night. The flight was on its way to Cairo from Johannesburg, South Africa, in bad weather with high crosswinds, the airline said. "On landing, one of the engines touched the ground and separated from the wing, and the plane left the runway. The pilot was able to maneuver the plane back on to the runway and make a safe stop, despite the engine's separation," the statement said. Zimbabwe's main international airport was closed overnight, and incoming flights were rerouted to the second city of Bulawayo. The airport was reopened today. Tuesday night's accident is the second involving an EgyptAir Boeing 767 in four months. On Oct. 31, an EgyptAir Boeing 767 plunged into the Atlantic Ocean off the eastern United States, killing all 217 people aboard. Investigations into that crash are continuing. Zimbabwe’s President to Retire, February 27 2000 According to Zimbabwe government sources President Mugabe is to end his 20-year term. Mugabe has said he will not stand again for the presidency or the party leadership. Mugabe's undertaking not to run again for the presidency means that he can stay in office until 2002. Kariba Dam Floodgates to Open, February 27 2000 The floodgates of Lake Kariba in northern Zimbabwe were opened on Saturday, February 25 for four weeks to allow the rapidly rising water level to subside. The gates were previously opened last September for a day, and some 10,000 visitors witnessed the spectacle. Cyclone Brings Heavy Rain to Botswana and Zimbabwe, February 27 2000 Botswana and Zimbabwe brace themselves for heavy rains and storm-force winds as Cyclone Eline moves across southern Africa. President Festus Mogae of Botswana has put his country on full alert. The tropical storm is expected to cause flooding in the country still struggling to come to grips with last week's heavy rains. The Department of Meteorological Services in Gabarone, Botswana said on Wednesday that cyclone Eline, downgraded to a tropical depression, was expected to hit the eastern, central and northern parts of the country. Zimbabwean officials had been monitoring the situation for the past two days. The worst-hit areas were in the eastern and southeastern parts of Zimbabwe along the borders with Mozambique and South Africa. In the Vumba, in Zimbabwe's Eastern Highlands, wind speed was recorded at 160 km per hour. In the eastern city of Mutare, heavy rain had made most roads impassable and telephone and electricity supplies were cut as uprooted trees fell over power and telephone cables. Africa's Busiest Border Crossing under Water, February 27 2000 Road traffic between South Africa and Zimbabwe came to a standstill last Friday when the main bridge between the two countries was flooded. Beitbridge, Africa's busiest border post on the main artery between South Africa and central Africa, was under water after the Limpopo River burst its banks Thursday night. Zimbabwe Declares Disaster Zones, February 27 2000 Zimbabwe has appealed for international help and declared three provinces disaster zones. Floods there have swept away roads, bridges, dams and power lines and left an estimated 250,000 people homeless. In Botswana, where rains already have washed away 10,000 homes, a new cyclone alert was issued Friday and the government appealed for urgent help to deal with the crisis. Renewed flooding across northern parts of South Africa has killed at least 12 people, South African police said, raising the death toll to more than 55 this month. Two tourist camps in South Africa's Kruger National Park were evacuated Friday due to flooding. Building of New Mombo Camp Delayed, February 27 2000 Wilderness Safaris has been experiencing a problem getting wood into the Mombo Camp building site in the Okavango area of Botswana. Most of the gum poles, used in the lodge’s construction, come from the Mpumalanga / Kruger area of South Africa. The combination of the flooding in that region and the flooding which took place on the roads from Mpumalanga, South Africa right through to Gaborone, Botswana is making it extremely tough to get the materials on site. For guests traveling to Mombo in April they will be accommodated in the existing Mombo Camp. Building of Tubu Camp Delayed, February 27 2000 The Botswana Land Board has announced new preconditions regarding the building plans for Wilderness Safaris’ Tubu Camp in Botswana. Delays caused by these new conditions couple with the upcoming yearly floods in the Delta ecosystem have caused Wilderness Safaris to delay the opening of Tubu Camp for one year. Monkeys Stone Man to Death in Kenya, February 27 2000 Monkeys are being blamed for the death of a herder in northeast Kenya who died from severe head injuries when monkeys threw stones at the man. The unusual attack was reported to have taken place when a group of herders and their animals monopolized a watering hole preventing a troop of monkeys from getting near enough to have a drink. Because of drought conditions in the region, nearby dams had dried up leaving the spring as the only source of water for miles around for local residents and for wildlife. Kenya's Flamingos Die of Mysterious Disease, February 27 2000 Hundreds of flamingos at Kenya's Lake Nakuru and Bogoria National Parks in the Rift Valley province have been killed by a mysterious disease over the past few months. The Kenya Wildlife Service warned that these colorful birds could be wiped out within the next few weeks if the disease goes unchecked. It is suspected that the disease may be linked to industrial waste from industries in Nakuru town being emptied into the lake. Kenya's Coastal Forests Destroyed, February 27 2000 Kenya's conservationists are concerned about the rate at which the country's indigenous coastal and other forests are being destroyed. One such particular forest is the Marenje Forest in the Kwale District. A team of government officials from the Forest Department, Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and the Coastal Forest Conservation Unit (CFCU) toured the 1,300-hectare forest recently. They were greeted by large-scale destruction caused by illegal loggers. The main target appears to be the Mkulu tree, which is used for building as well as wood carving. The loggers, who previously cut down the trees for timber, had now resorted to cutting down the smaller trees for building poles as all the big trees have been destroyed. Despite a November 1999 moratorium on the harvesting of forests, destruction of some forests are still continuing. But the poachers' days are numbered as tough measures to combat illegal logging are in the pipeline. Zanzibar Expects More Income from Tourism, February 27 2000 Zanzibar expects to realize 54 billion Tanzanian shillings (about US $67.5 million dollars) in revenue from tourism during this year's tourist season to begin shortly. The projected revenue will be obtained from 100,000 tourists expected to visit the Indian Ocean islands, which lie off the east coast of the mainland Tanzania. Over 50 percent of the estimated tourists will come from Germany, Britain, Italy, Sweden, Denmark, Canada and South Africa. Zanzibar, comprising the twin islands of Unguja and Pemba, as well as a number of smaller islands, is famous for its pristine beaches and colonial past. The Zanzibari government has attached great importance to the development of tourism after the exports of cloves, its major foreign exchange earner, declined sharply due to fall of the prices of the cash crop in the international market. Tourism now earns about 21 percent of the isles' total gross domestic product (GDP). Tanzania Government Enlists American Bank’s Help in Sale of Hotels, February 27 2000 An American bank has been picked by the Tanzania government to supervise the sale of its six tourist lodges. HSBC Equator (USA) Inc bank were appointed as consultants to look for reputable buyers for the famous state-owned tourist lodges located on the northern tourist circuit and the Indian Ocean beach island of Mafia. They include Lake Manyara Hotel, Novotel Mount Meru Hotel, Ngorongoro Lodge, Seronera and Lobo lodges as well the Mafia Island Lodge. The six tourist facilities are currently managed jointly by Accor, a French hotel franchise, and the Tanzanian government, through a joint company registered as Tanzania Hotels Investment Ltd (Tahi). Lake Manyara Hotel is located 122 kilometers from Arusha town on the rim of the Rift Valley and has 100 rooms, while the Novotel Mount Meru Hotel, also in Arusha, has 168 rooms. Ngorongoro Crater Lodge, Seronera Lodge and Lobo Lodge, on the other hand, have 75 rooms each. Lobo is located in the Serengeti Wildlife National Park. Mafia Island Lodge on Mafia Island, 140 kilometers south-east of Dar-es-Salaam, has 40 rooms. The lodges were constructed in 1970s and started operations between 1973 and 1976 under the defunct Tanzania Tourist Corporation. Tahi was established as an autonomous entity to manage the facilities in 1993. The lodges / hotels were rehabilitated in 1993, through loans from the German Financial Institution for Development which gave $ 7.2 million, the Swiss Organization for African Development $297,521, the East African Development Bank $2.7 million and the European Investment Bank which provided $3.2m. The government sold its 100 percent shareholding in seven other tourist lodges and hotels over the past three years. However, the privatization of the 198-room Kilimanjaro Hotel in Dar-es-Salaam failed apparently due to the huge financial obligations to creditors by the hotel. War Is Major Threat to Africa’s Wildlife, February 27 2000 War took a grim toll on Africa's magnificent wildlife in the 20th century and is predicted to kill off more of the continent’s natural treasures in the next. "Things are difficult enough with conserving wildlife in Africa. The task is just made so much worse when war is thrown into the equation," said Sarah Scarth, South African country director for the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). "It makes it difficult if not impossible to carry out conservation projects," she said. "War in Africa often puts a lot of hungry troops in areas where there isn't much food, in which case if they eat wild animals they are going to really devastate the area," Jane Goodall, a leading naturalist and author renowned for her studies on wild chimpanzees, has noted that Africa's wars have displaced millions of people, creating waves of malnourished refugees who often have little choice but to kill wild animals for food. Valuable habitat has been destroyed by battles while in some countries elephants and rhinos have been ruthlessly hunted for their ivory and horns to fund both government and rebel war efforts. With several seemingly intractable conflicts still raging from Angola to Eritrea, conservationists say war remains a huge threat to Africa's diverse animal life. When civil war erupted in Mozambique shortly after the southern African country gained its independence from Portugal in 1975, its elephant population was estimated at over 60,000. When the guns were silenced in 1992, only 15,000 were left. Mozambique has the dubious distinction of being the only country in the world where the white rhino has become extinct twice in the last 100 years. After being wiped out decades ago, the animal was reintroduced from South Africa in the 1960s and 1970s, but subsequently fell victim to the rampant poaching that accompanied the civil war. War has also had a devastating impact on wildlife in Angola, another conflict-ridden former Portuguese colony. The UNITA rebel movement wiped out huge numbers of the country's elephant and rhino populations, slaying the animals for ivory and horns which were sold with the assistance of the South African army. "During the period from 1975 to 1987, there was large-scale destruction of wildlife, including elephant and rhinoceros, in Angola and northeastern Namibia," said one mid-1990s report on ivory and rhino-horn smuggling. In both Angola and Mozambique, the presence of countless landmines beneath the soil continues to kill wild animals. Even when Angola enjoyed a period of relative peace from 1994 to 1998, there were periodic reports of Angolan poachers crossing into northern Namibia in search of game for food. Future war-related threats to the continent's wildlife are many. The resumption of war in Angola, which has produced new refugees and fresh food shortages, may utterly gut what little wildlife the country has left. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 19 months of fighting between the government of Laurent Kabila and Rwandan and Ugandan-backed rebels in the east is seen threatening the highly endangered northern white rhino, of which there are only 15 to 20 left in the Garamba National Park. Insecurity in the former Zaire as well as neighboring Uganda and Rwanda is viewed as the greatest danger to the few hundred mountain gorillas left on earth. The gorillas are sometimes direct casualties of war, slain by the numerous shadowy rebel groups that operate in the region's dense forests. These same groups have scared away many tourists, and with them the revenue and job-generating opportunities that give local communities the incentive to protect the apes. While war is always bad for people, there are times when it inadvertently benefits wildlife. "There are actually cases where war can save wildlife because you get a kind of no-man's-land," said Goodall. Ponta Do Ouro on the south coast of Mozambique is a diver's paradise, boasting pristine coral reefs left untouched by the enforced absence of development during the country's civil war. In Angola, environmentalists say a lack of development and the depopulation of large parts of the countryside because of the war has left many rivers unpolluted and untouched. Birds and vegetation have actually flourished in some parts of the country because of depopulation. Africa's Forests are Disappearing, February 27 2000 Civil war and the conversion of land for agriculture have been identified as the major reasons for the rapid diminishing of Africa's forests. A report released by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization this week also blames over-grazing, wild fires, over-logging and the cutting of trees for fuelwood and charcoal production, as major contributors to deforestation. The report states that between 1990 and 1995, Africa lost 3.7 million hectares of forests every year, a deforestation rate of 0.7 percent, more than twice the world average of 0.3 percent. Africa's forest cover is currently estimated at 520 million hectares, making the continent the world's second largest reservoir of tropical forests, after Latin America. The development of national forest programs has been hampered by political turmoil, lack of international support, weak political commitment and the poor integration of forestry policies into the agricultural sector, the report said. War in Congo Threatens Wildlife, February 27 2000 Conservationists with the World Wide Fund For Nature (WWF) are urging US diplomatic representatives in Congo and Rwanda to encourage efforts to protect the region's wildlife threatened by the ongoing political conflict in the area. According to a recent report, the WWF said that, apart from having killed tens of thousands of civilians, the war in the Congo now threatens to destroy the region's lowland gorillas, elephants, and numerous other wildlife species. The environmental organization has apparently received reports of the "wholesale slaughter" of various endangered species, including gorillas and elephants, in the Kahuzi-Biega National Park of the eastern Congo. This park is one of the last remaining gorilla sanctuaries in the world. The report further states that WWF is calling on US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and other US officials to ensure that this issue is raised with local authorities and "all steps are taken to safeguard the region's threatened natural resources". Return to Weekly Update Archive |
