Wildlife crime news in Mozamnique in 2022

As first appeared in Integrity Magazine in Mozambique, here. Written by Omardine Omar.

February 2023

Jackals, lion among casualties recorded across the southern African nation

A silver-backed jackal pup. Image by Simon Hurry.

Three arrested for possession of lion skin in market town

February 10

Mozambique’s National Criminal Investigation Service (SERNIC) questioned and arrested three individuals in possession of a lion skin, in Manica to the west of the southern African nation.  

It is presumed that the animal was killed using a traditional trap in Changará district, in Tete province, and when the alleged poachers took the trophy to Maputo province, they fell into the meshes of SERNIC agents.

“We were in constant communication with a supposed buyer, and he was guaranteeing our logistics to Maputo where we were going to settle the deal, but out of nowhere, we were questioned and taken to the 1st Police station in Chimoio,” said one of the men arrested for possession of wild animal trophies.

SERNIC spokesperson in Manica, Paulo Candieiro, said the arrest of the poachers was thanks to intelligence work carried out by the authorities that allowed them to reach the poachers. Once they were found in possession of an animal skin and protected by law, in this way, the report has already been drawn up for the criminal responsibility of the offenders.

Two jackals killed by motorists near Maputo National Park

February 13

During the last weekend, two jackals were run over on the national road (EN1), in the eight kilometre section that crosses the Maputo National Park.

Jackals are nocturnal animals, that is, they are more active at night, and when illuminated by car headlights while crossing the road, they tend to remain motionless.

We appeal to drivers to respect the speed limit and drive carefully along the section that crosses the Maputo Environmental Protection Area, which starts at the Maputo River to Ponta do Ouro.

Illegal logging rampant in Cabo Delgado province

February 14

The Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado continues to be the epicentre of worrying scenarios. If, on the one hand, terrorists attack villages, towns and military positions, on the other hand, stealth groups intensify their actions in the forests of Cabo Delgado, cutting down, transporting and exporting large amounts of wood through different schemes.

According to local sources, certain companies based in regions such as Mueda and the surroundings of Montepuez end up being used by local poachers, who slaughter different species in collusion with the owners of said companies to transport the wood to the Ninga region, on the route of Negomano to Mtambasuala, Republic of Tanzania. 

The sources say, the group exports around 10,000 boards per trip, while the guides submitted to the Environmental Quality Control Agency (AQUA) and the Directorate for the Environment have other numbers.

However, the situation is already leaving the logging operators considered honest with their nerves on edge, since the route used to export the wood ends up not benefiting the province, much less the country, in addition to the wood that is slaughtered in large quantities and removed from Cabo Delgado without the recommended control.

It should be noted that, recently, containers were passing through the port of Pemba exporting round wood, because although the technicians involved in the scheme were arrested, a while later they were released and returned to their jobs naturally and without any criminal, much less administrative, responsibility.

This article is reproduced here as part of the African Conservation Journalism Programme, funded in Angola, Botswana, Mozambique, and Zimbabwe by USAID’s VukaNow: Activity. Implemented by the international conservation organisation Space for Giants, it aims to expand the reach of conservation and environmental journalism in Africa, and bring more African voices into the international conservation debate. Written articles from the Mozambican and Angolan cohorts are translated from Portuguese. Broadcast stories remain in the original language.