The Luangwa Valleyby Bwalya Bwalya | 07-06-2018 06:02 |
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    The pictures beneath show some of the various species found at the Luangwa valley. The luangwa river attracts wildlife and has also provided home to many families living in the area. The luangwa family pooling together has enabled the experiences of the wildlife and ecology to the world. The beauty of the luangwa includes the great many concentration of leopards, the rutting and calving of the impala and the closing as well as rebirth of the ecosystem. However, Zambian authorities have overturned the decision they made in the year 2016 of suspending the brutal culling of up to 2000 hippos in the luangwa valley over the next five years. The cull is being promoted to trophy hunters as they hunt. Various Non-Governmental Organizations are trying to persuade authorities to reconsider their decision as it only benefits the private safari hunting companies and trophies hunters. Culling will not only affect thousands of Hippos but also Zambia's reputation as a wildlife tourism destination. The Zambian Ministry of Justice has apparently decided that the original and discredited contract between The Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW)& Mambwe safari (the Zambian Company who were awarded the culling contract last time) should be honoured and that the cull is to start immediately. DNPW is trying to justify the cull by claiming that it is a wildlife management tool to prevent anthrax outbreaks among wildlife due to high populations of hippo, compounded by unusually low rainfall in luangwa. surprisingly, they have failed to find scientific evidence demonstrating that there is overpopulation of hippo in the luangwa. Asides this, they have also failed to clearly demonstrate that previous hippo culls in the luangwa have been successful in reducing the hippo population over the long term. World hippo numbers across Africa are under increasing pressure due to the fact that people want to trade them for their ivory. There is so much work to be done in order to achieve sustainable development and at the same time conserve animal species. |
