Govt intensifies efforts to protect elephants

Advertisement
Bright Msaka

The Malawi Government says the number of elephants in the country will increase since it has intensified efforts to protect the wild animals.

Minister of natural resources, energy and mining Bright Msaka said due to efforts to conserve elephants in the country, in five to ten years the number will increase.

Bright Msaka
We want wildlife to be protected.: Msaka

“Ten years back the number of elephants in the country rapidly decreased due to illegal poaching and we believe after sometime the number will increase,” said Msaka.

He further said that government has been making efforts to protect wildlife and they are intensifying prosecution of poachers.

There has been a massive reduction in the number of elephants in the country due to illegal poaching. Currently Malawi is believed to have around 1500 elephants, a number that is smaller than that of its neighbors.

Malawi is said to lose US$8.4 million each year to poaching and experts predict that at current rates of poaching for ivory elephants would go extinct.

Over the past years, several foreigners have been caught trying to illegally export ivory out of the country.

Illegal wildlife trade is the 4th largest transnational crime in the world and stands as the greatest threat to the survival of endangered species like elephants.