A Tanzanian tourism and conservation campaigner is to take the war against poaching to the US as part of efforts to sensitise the international community on the dangers of ivory trade to fragile economies.
Several companies have teamed up to support 53-year -old Robert Zangi to attend an international conference on poaching to be hosted by Northern Colorado University in Denver, the US, from April 9.
Mr Zangi who has promoted tourism activities for nearly a decade now under the Tanzania Tourism Board umbrella will use the opportunity while in the US to bring the attention of the US on the importance of helping Africa to save the threatened elephants and in turn save the Tanzania tourism sector.
“The US is an important market to raise the profile against poaching and bring out the true picture of the cost of elephant killings and related businesses around the world,” he told The Citizen yesterday. Mr Zangi said he was invited by the university because of his work to promote tourism between Tanzania and US since 2006. “If we don’t stop the elephant killing now we will not have anything to sell as an attraction,” he said.
Tanzania safari and tourism businesses have suffered set backs due to the bad publicity from all the poaching going on in various national parks around the country. The main victims of this horrendous act are the elephants that are being poached for ivory. the rhinos too are victims of poaching.
Meanwhile, six people who are suspected to be poachers were arrested at Kiyombo Village of Manyoni District, Singida Region in connection with a consignment of 55 elephant tusks weighing 170 kilogrammes.
