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Tanzania’s Blood Ivory: “This is madness now”
“At independence Tanzania had 350,000 elephants… in 1987 there were only 55,000 elephants left.”
That’s the dire message from the president of Tanzania, who spoke to CNN’s Christiane Amanpour about his country’s battle against wildlife poaching.
President Jakaya Kikwete joined Amanpour in London, where heads of state are meeting to find a solution to end poaching before it’s too late.
“This is madness now, it is just impossible… it’s a serious matter.”
Incidents of poaching are on the rise fueled by a growing demand for ivory and rhino horn in Asia. There are also concerns that poaching is helping to fund violent groups in the region.
When it comes to destroying ivory stockpiles, as countries like the United States and China have done in the past, President Kikwete says his country is considering doing the same thing to show it is an unacceptable trade.
“We have about 112 tonnes of ivory… we used to have the idea of asking permission to sell, but we don’t think, these are not the times”.
It’s not the right time, he says, because it was the relaxation of laws that opened the door to more poaching in the first place.
Gay rights in Tanzania
Another topic dominating headlines is that of gay rights on the African continent.
In Tanzania homosexuality is illegal, punishable with long prison sentences. When asked whether it’s time to stop criminalising people who are in consensual relationships, President Kikwete told Amanpour it will “take time for our people to accept the norms that the west is accepting”.
And when pressed on whether he wants to see that happen, he told Amanpour “I cannot say that now”.
Click above to watch the full interview with President Kikwete.
@camanpour on Twitter
Elephants are pretty intelligent. Wait until they decide to start fighting back.
Kikwete and his administration are complicit in the blood ivory trade. Just like in the illegal drug trade that's growing in Tanzania, the government big men and their families are actively participating and getting a big chunk of the money. If the west is serious about stopping the Tanzania's blood ivory trade, it would stop supporting Kikwete. As long as the current regime stays in power, nothing will change especially if Kikwete's successor is from the same inner circle. It will be blood ivory business as usual. God help us and the poor elephants.
This is quite pathetic. Tanzania government is part of the problem. Period.
The whole truth of the matter is that it was under the Kikwete administration during the years 2009-2011, unprecedented elephants slaughtered for their ivory. The buck stops with him. Tanzania is drowning in sea of corruption under him. There is unprecedented judicial corruption, reports and articles exposing grand corruption/looting at the central bank are suppressed by current regime. He wants to present a squeaky clean image of his presidency to the DONORS, hvr, truth is the opposite.
Unprecedented corruption under his regime. & He wonders why there is poverty. He has done nothing to a former AG who publicly dismissed millions in his offshore account as peanuts. He made this guy a budget head in Parl. There is NO accountability. Only the innocent suffer for their rights. One of the most corrupt President Tanzania has ever had. The west should not waste their taxpayers money on corrupt regimes like that of Kikwete.
Kwa hali ilivyo katika suala zima la biashara ya PEMBE za Ndovu na Tembo Dunia iamke na kuipiga marufuku biashara hii ili lisiwepo soko la biashara hiyo katika nchi ambazo ni vinara wa kununua.VIONGOZI MNAOKUTANA LONDON TOENI TAMKO ZITO DHIDI YA BIASHARA HII HARAMU.
Shame on you kikwete
Kikwete is Tanzania's most corrupt president to date. He is not guided by a moral compass. He has his fingers in as many pies and bank accounts as he possibly can, and has no interest in the future of the country. As long as Kikwete is in power, not only the elephants but the entire population of Tanzania is at risk.
One part of the solution would be for more and more people to take a vow that they will not purchase any product made of ivory.
Ni lazima Tanzania ibuni mbinu muafaka ambayo itasaidia kwa kiasi kikubwa kulinda wanyama hawa wasio na hatia NDOVU hata kama kuwajengea UZIO/UKUTA maeneo waishio wanyama hawa wasio na hatia pia ulinzi wa masaa 24 uwekwe kuwalinda wanyama hao ili wasipotee kabisa. mungu walinde wasaidie wahurumie NDOVU/TEMBO
Am sure with a collective aim and motive btn the people and the government of Tanzania we can stop this deadly trade and save our animals for the future generation,Please president work closely with the ministers in charge making sure all authority and decision is from you and never from a minister ..God bless Tanzania ..
PSCOL-COMIC.
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Humans realized that food had NANO SHIPS / NANO COMPUTERS.
They call the US army ...... give me my DRON.
THE CITIZEN SAYS.
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TRA… TRA ... TRA ...
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I really liked the way jk answered the question of gay issues. Congratulation Mr President, Tanzania has more pressing issues to deal with now than gay issues. The mood shown by jk when Christiane Amanpour was asking this question really represents the mood of majority of Tanzanians on this issue.
Tanzania has surely had bad presidents in the past, but Kikwete?? oh lord have mercy.
We took a group of hooligans and put them on power. Drug dealers, poachers, rapists etc makes the government of Tanzania. so many reports relating to Government officials on the above scandals are suppressed. Those who dares to speak out ends up dealt with like Dr Ulimboka and Absolom Kibanda.
What he is good at is faking his true image to western countries.
Shame on us Tanzanians for having a president of the Kikwetes' kind.
Humans will extinct these magnificent animals and others simply for show – look, I have ivory. I've made it. It's disgusting. All trophy hunting should be banned. Anybody in possession of illegal ivory, etc should simply go to jail. You have to be an idiot to not know an animal was slaughtered to get the ivory. Jail time, huge fine. Government officials who perpetuate the slaughter in their own pursuit of greed should be executed. That might help slow down this dreadful practice.
Jamani,mbona hukemei ushoga kwa herufi kubwa Kikwete. Kweli unawakilisha nchi na majibu ya kugunaguna hivyo?
Really!?
Lord have mercy! this is the serious problem! May be now it will be healed because the Bosses have said it!
The problem is in most African countries we are governed by double faced leaders who pretend to fight for ivory trade,while their family earn alot of money from trade and are protected by government
Kikwete na Serikali yake ya CCM wanaweza kuwapiga mabomu na risasi za moto waandamanaji hata wanaowasindikiza wagombea wa vyama vya upinzani, lakini HAWEZI KAMWE kuwakamatarafiki zake wanaoua Tembo ! Twiga walichukuliwa na ndege ya jeshi la kiarabu hapa, kwani nini Kikwete amefanya . .? ! CCM wanauza nchi tuu . . , dawa ni kuwang'oa 2015 . . PERIOD !
it is so discouraging to hear this kind of story, a shame to a nation with people said to be living in peace but unable to protect their pride. The government is to blame, as with all the power it has fail to stop the killing of poor animals which make the map of Tanzania a colorful one. I don't see any reason for asking international community to help in this matter while the country has a lot of people who are there paid to ensure the safety and the well being of the animals
The president of Tanzania is lying through his teeth. The Tanzanian government has allowed and issued licenses for the hunting of elephants for anyone who can pay the price. Furthermore, religious leaders of the Dawoodi Bohora sect have been frequently making hunting trips to Tanzania and killing not only elephants but lions, leopards and other species of animals at the verge of extinction. This is inhumane and disgusting!
It is big shame to be gay in africa. I doubt in america also shame if your finance does not protect you. Let it be shame Amanpour. Man to gentle man marriage ~not found in dictionary.
Kikwete did not know or have not knowledge with his administration on how to protect Tanzania resources.He used more police on destroying democracy but not on protecting the natural resources.He did not understand sustainable economy.We have to make sure our resources [wild animals]are available as we inherit and pass to the future [our children]
Kikwete is the worst president Tanzania has ever had,he and his friend Kinana are behind the killing of Elephants and his son Ridhwani is the king of drugs. If Tanzania wants to eliminate Ivory trade Kikwete should go.
I think the world as being very unfair, it is still keeps being unfair. These creatures are assets to the concerned country and the country should have the last and final say and decide on what to do with their natural resources. Just like the entire world is eagerly waiting to marry all African men via LGBT so do the resources. It is unfair since the fuel to the blaze of poaching comes in the name of the outside world countries including yours. Poachers first degree is not Tanzania but other countries hypnotizing counties such as Tanzania to kill its eles and then blame Tanzania for doing it. Let Tanzanians decide on their resources. USA and other countries killed all their lions, Dinos, wolfs, bears, etc for safety and no one blamed them for it was their resources. If we should be fair we should strongly blame the market and not the farm if we want crops to remain in the farm.
For gay business to me we should also consider poaching. If we should say poaching is bad then we should accept the truth and reality that sodomising is not different from poaching, for all of them being illegal morally and spiritually unhealthy.
I think the way the world is heading something is not right. His excellence president of Tanzania Jakaya Kikwete, indicated a very high level of political maturity responding to this crazy question about LGBT and indicates a highest credit on him of all other leaders protecting his fellow men from the current wave of sodomisation and all relatedness of the moral rapture for men utterly declaring legal by some countries just for the sake of political immaturity and economic euphoria. Why should an intelligent man care for the elephants and stop caring for the moral values of men. It is double standard. It is not better the later. Bottom line is humanity is far better on earth than any other creature. The world did not come to an end when all the dinos killed, or bears, BUT surely I tell you all of humanity will come to an end if all men turns out to be gays. That is when one will note that it was deviant useless sarcastic behaviour. For the proponent of LGBT it will be too late as it is known men can not impregnant fellow men and the population will dwindle and the humanity will extinct. Is this the west wants? Definitely not, and the truth will be known sooner or later.
Africa remains endangered in all spheres of human endeavour.
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