Zambia: My People Have No Value for Elephants - Chief Mukuni The Post (Lusaka)
March 11, 2006 Nomusa Michelo Lusaka
CHIEF Mukuni has said people in his area have no value for elephants as they consider them a threat.
In an interview, Chief Mukuni said over 500 elephants were now living among the communities in three zones in his chiefdom.
He said people of his chiefdom felt threatened by the animals and saw them as a problem and placed no value in them. "The communities regard the elephants as a problem and therefore nothing of value to them," he said.
"The people being affected by the elephants are not benefiting anything from staying with elephants."
Chief Mukuni said this had reduced regard by communities for the animals as the elephants destroyed crops.
He also bemoaned what he called the weak control measure by the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) to control the animals, saying this compounded the problem as people felt threatened.
Correct me if I am wrong. The elephant is not on any safari-menu in Zambia. What lead me to think there is no allotment because there is too few elephant. That's not the impression Capstick aired out in the past. I never saw any offer including elephant in Zambia, yet. Thus, how can the elephant being a threat. Only in particular localised spots?
-------------------- "I don't want to create an encyclopedic atmosphere here when we might be having a beer instead" P H Capstick in "Safari the last adventure."
That goes to reason. If there is no hunting of elephant, no meat, no sales of ivory, no trophy fees or employment associated with elephant hunting, then they have NO VALUE in the eyes of villagers that have to live with them.
Africans that do not benefit from wildlife often see wildlife as having no value and should be removed.
-------------------- John aka NitroX
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Govt get out of our lives NOW!
"I love the smell of cordite in the morning."
"A Sharp spear needs no polish"