Tanzania
is temporarily lifting a six-year-old prohibition on wildlife exports in order
to conserve Tanzania's protected animals and birds, according to the country's
wildlife department.
Conservationists
argued that the decision to relax the moratorium for a six-month period should
be accompanied by monitoring procedures to prevent poaching, which has been on
the decline.
"Since
the restriction was established, the government has been reviewing the business
of exporting live wild animals," the Tanzania Wildlife Management
Authority said in a statement late Friday.
It
further stated that traders will have six months from June 6 to December 5 to
"clear stocks of animals" that they were unable to sell due to the
restriction.
Tanzania
enacted the ban in 2016 under the autocratic government of then-President John
Magufuli, dubbed "the Bulldozer" for his tough leadership style.
The
government justified the ban at the time by citing "irregularities"
in trade, including the export of protected species.
Since
taking power last year after Magufuli's untimely death, President Samia Suluhu
Hassan has moved to reverse several of Magufuli's policies.
The
WWF warned that loosening the prohibition should not undermine progress in
safeguarding species, such as by resurrecting poaching, which has been on the
wane.
"Proper
monitoring procedures and data are required to support such decisions,"
Amani Ngusaru, WWF country director, told AFP.
Tanzania's
sandy beach archipelago of Zanzibar, wildlife safaris, and Mount Kilimanjaro
are all popular tourist attractions.
In
2010, at least 116 animals and 16 birds, some of them protected species, were
illegally exported from Kilimanjaro airport in the north of the country aboard
a Qatari plane.
They
included at least four giraffes, several different types of antelope, hornbills
and vultures, according to local media.
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