Zambia's wildlife governing body seeks powers to kill poachers

A Zambian government agency responsible for managing the country's wildlife sector has asked lawmakers to grant it powers to start killing poachers, the Zambia Daily Mail reported on Friday.

The Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) has submitted to a parliamentary committee on agriculture that the country's wildlife law be amended to permit wildlife officers to kill poachers as game parks are like "war zones."

"I take it that a poacher can kill the officer. Police officers on the other hand have the right to kill a thief who has a weapon. Why don't you seek to have the Act grant rights to these wildlife officers to kill those found wanting because their lives are at stake," Kapamba Kombe, the agency's acting director-general was quoted as saying by the paper when he appeared before the parliamentary committee.

According to him, the wildlife agency has on several occasions requested that wildlife officers should be authorized to shoot back at armed poachers but that their request has always been turned down, adding that wildlife officers have ended up being incarcerated if they shot a poacher.

"We have been told that the right to kill by our officers will encourage them to be trigger-happy. But we have stated time and again that we have lost quite a number of officers out there. Instead of protecting the animals, wildlife officers prefer running away from the poacher than go to jail," he added. Endit