Sensitization key to curbing poaching
Elephant population reduced in Kasungu National Park due to poaching
The Department of Parks and Wildlife believes civic education among communities living near protected areas is crucial to deal with poaching.
Cases of poaching wild animals like elephants for ivory have resurfaced despite stringent punitive measures set by authorities.
The department’s spokesperson Joseph Nkosi said; “Community members are key to wildlife protection. We have a number of sensitization campaigns aimed at raising awareness on the negative impacts such activities.”
Recently, two individuals were arrested in Kasungu for being found in possession of two pieces of ivory weighing 16.6 kilograms.
Records indicate that one of Malawi’s second largest protected areas, Kasungu National Park, which spans about 2,100 km2 was home to more than 1,200 elephants in the 1970s.
However, decades of poaching for ivory decimated the elephant population. According to government figures, there were only 50 of the animals left in the park in 2015.
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