Authority’s Hands on Wildlife Trafficking

Officials at the Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority (EWCA) including Dawud Mume, the director general want to see enhanced expertise among law enforcement officers in order to tackle wildlife trafficking. Curbing this illegal activity is one of the major aims of East African countries, whose leaders want to cooperate with Arabian Peninsula countries as the former tends to be the destination or transit conduit, while the latter is the exporter. Elephant ivory, rhino horns, reptile skins and leopard skins are amongst the most illegally traded wildlife products in the East Africa and the Arabian Peninsula region.

The Authority, in cooperation with the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), hosted a training workshop taht lasted five days, from November 17, 2014, at the Friendship International Hotel, Addis Abeba. Delegates from Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda and Somalia, and five from Arabian the Peninsula countries participated in the workshop.

“Illegal wild life trafficking is a major threat to wildlife conservation not only in Africa but on an international level too, with far reaching consequences,” said Amin Abdulkadir, minister of Culture & Tourism.

Live animals including cheetah and lion cubs, as well as primates, reptiles and live birds are also trafficked, according to a press release by the Authority.


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