THE Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism has reinstated a total ban on exportation of live wild animals.
Natural Resources and Tourism Minister, Dr Pindi Chana, issued the government's stance on Sunday just a day after the Tanzania Wildlife Authority (TAWA) through its commissioner of conservation issued a public statement indicating that the government had lifted the ban on exports of live wild animals.
"As the Minister responsible for Natural Resources and Tourism, I hereby state that there is no permit to export live wild animals until the government gets proper information from responsible institutions," Dr Chana stated, quashing the previous report that the government has lifted the ban.
"There is a report which was issued yesterday (Saturday) indicating that the ban on export of live wild animals has been lifted. Let me make it clear that there is no permit to transport live wild animals at the moment until the government gets adequate information from its institutions."
The statement by TAWA had indicated that the ban has been lifted on animals which are being kept in zoos for a period of six months between today (June 6, 2022) and December 5, 2022.
The authority had indicated that exporters should present respective documents for them to be allowed to export live animals in their zoos through the Julius Nyerere International Airport (JNIA) and Kilimanjaro International Airport (KIA).
The government of Tanzania banned export of wild live animals in the year 2016 after observing irregularities in the business, including transportation of protected wild animals abroad.
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The then minister for Natural Resources and Tourism, Professor Jumanne Maghembe, told the National Assembly in Dodoma that no single live wild animal will be allowed to be transported across the borders.
The decision was reached after an evaluation conducted by the government on the business showed some illegal businesses were being conducted and thus posing a threat to the tourism industry in Tanzania.
Available reports show that the government paid compensation amounting to over 173m/- which had been paid by exporters as levies and fees for exportation of the animals.
The ban on export of the animals sparked anger from exporters who complained that the ban was a surprise decision to them as it was made just a few months after they were given licences for exporting the animals.
