A Husky to help watch over the Serengeti

From left to right: Gerald Bigurube, FZS Programme Manager Tanzania H.E. EgonKochanke, Ambassador of Germany Prof. JumanneMaghembe, Hon. Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism, Tanzania Martin Loibooki, Director General, Tanzania Wildlife Authority (TAWA) Alan Kijazi, Director General, Tanzania National Parks William Mwakilema, Chief Park Warden Serengeti National Park. Credit: FZS

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Seronera, 

15 February 2016  

Today,the German Ambassador to Tanzania handed over an aircraft to the Tanzanian Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism. The Husky aircraft will be deployed by Frankfurt Zoological Society (FZS) for surveillance of the Serengeti National Park to support TANAPA’sfight against poaching.

„We are seeing the large mammals of our protected areas under a severe threat of local extinction because of poaching,“ said Minister JumanneMaghembe on the occasion of the handover in Seronera. He thanked the German government for the support in countering the recent upsurge in poaching.

“Stringent law enforcement, community involvement and ecosystem management are key in the fight against poaching”, said the German Ambassador EgonKochanke. “I am very proud to be able to hand this aircraft over to the Tanzanian authorities and FZS. This is an important cornerstone of our close and longstanding cooperation.”

Frankfurt Zoological Society will operate the aircraft in close cooperation with the Serengeti National Park Authority. With aerial support, poacher camps and illegal activities can be detected and the pilots can provide critical information to reaction forces on the ground.

Tanzanian wildlife authorities are faced with a dramatic upsurge of poaching threatening the country’s populations of elephants and rhinos.To counter this threat and to support wildlife and habitat monitoring, the German Government has provided funding for the acquisition of three aircraft.This is part of the larger German commitment to Serengeti National Park and adjacent districts of 20.5 million Euro.

The other two Husky A-1C Aircraft will be deployed in the Tanzanian Selous Game Reserve and the Zambian North Luangwa National Park.The Husky is well suited for monitoring and anti-poaching surveys as it operates at low heights and slow speeds.

This support is part of longer-term financial and technical development cooperation measures implemented by FZS, GIZ, KfW, in collaboration with Tanzania Wildlife Authority TAWA, Tanzania National Parks TANAPA, and the Zambian Department of National Parks and Wildlife DNPW.