Tanzania to shut part of wildlife preserve to big game hunters
Tanzanian President John Magufuli on Friday ordered the sprawling Selous Game Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage site, to be split in two to restrict the access of big game hunters.
Covering 50,000 sq km (19,000 sq miles), the Selous reserve is one of the largest protected areas in Africa, and is famed for its elephants, lions, black rhinos, hippos and giraffes.
About 8% of the Selous, which is larger than Switzerland, is dedicated to photo-tourism while the rest is a hunting reserve.
“Tourists come here and kill our lions, but we don’t benefit a lot from these wildlife hunting activities,” Magufuli said.
“I want the Selous Game Reserve to be split into two. A bigger area of the wildlife sanctuary on the upper side should be turned into a national park where hunting activities are not permitted.”
Magufuli said some 47 hunting blocks licensed to tourist hunting companies would be allowed to continue to operate in the lower part of the game reserve.
He did not specify the size of either area but said the move would “preserve our wildlife species and boost the growth of the tourism sector”.
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