Poaching in S. Sudan reaches alarming levels: experts

Wildlife in South Sudan has come increasingly under threat from poaching due to high appetite for bush meat and the effects of more than two years of civil conflict, a UN Environment Programme (UNEP) official said on Wednesday.

UNEP Country Manager, Arshad Khan, told journalists on Wednesday in Juba that the country's elephant, tiang, antelope, white ear-kob and mangala gazelle species are diminishing due to poaching.

The civil war has threatened to push some of the country's wildlife into extinction, with poaching of elephants on the rise, Khan told journalists.

According to some estimates, the population of elephants that used to be 100,000 in the 1970s has plummeted to only 5,000.

Tiang and antelope are also animals that have suffered from poaching in the country, Khan revealed.

"Another factor that poses threat to wildlife is bush meat since it is cheaper than beef and chicken as a result wild animals such as white ear-kob, mangala gazelle, tiang are hunted in large numbers in South Sudan," Khan said.

Authorities at Juba airport on May 25 seized 10 kilograms of penguin meat and 30 kilograms of elephant tusks, and arrested suspects who attempted to smuggle them out of the country.

"There is a great need to halt illegal wildlife trade in this country by creating public awareness and supporting local communities living around wildlife conservation sites," he added.

If developed, the wildlife and tourism sector could contribute 10 to 15 percent of Gross Domestic Product to South Sudan, according to UNEP.

Khan said UNEP has plans to start construction of wildlife migratory routes in the country. "South Sudan is fortunate to be considered home to the biggest antelope migration in the world," he said.

Wildlife expert and South Sudan's former Director General of Ministry of Wildlife Conservation, Philip Chol Majak, told Xinhua in an interview that illicit arms in the hands of the civil population and weak legal framework had exposed animals to poachers hunting for bush meat and elephant tusks.

"We have a lot of species elephants, rhinos, gazelles, antelopes, buffaloes, white eared-kob and hippos in big numbers which are being poached. The rhinos are almost getting extinct and buffaloes have migrated to other countries due to poaching," Majak said.

He said there is need to renovate and demarcate Boma, Nimule and other national parks, but the shortage of funds has delayed research and data collection on animals.

"We have not carried out any tangible research to ascertain the number of animals in our game parks. We were supposed to get data and use it afterwards for conservation," he disclosed. Endit