Mzee Mwanakijiji
Platinum Member
- Mar 10, 2006
- 33,475
- 39,991
Early in October this year the Tanzanian government floated the idea that it was considering selling of its massive stockpile of ivories. According to the Deputy Minister for Natural Resources and Tourism Lazaro Nyalandu the government (meaning had a blessing of the cabinet) was seriously considering selling over 100,000kg of ivories. This however, was not the first time the Tanzanian government had toyed with the idea. In 2010 Kikwete government tried unsuccessfully to sell over 90,000 kg of ivories in its possession. After worldwide outcry and opposition from activists and of course Kenya - the government backed down.
What is more alarming - for some of us anyway - is that only less then two months after the government had pushed again the idea of selling its ivories stockpiles two containers have been seized in Hong Kong in what I can only speculate that is probably linked to the Tanzanian ivory stockpiles. But more interesting is that the containers seems to have been shipped from Tanzania and no one in our government was able to stop the shipment until it reached its destination in the Far East.
What are the chances that the ivory seized in Hong Kong are part of the same stockpile spoken about by Nyalandu? Who is trying to sell them? Can Nyalandu assure the country that the stockpile that he was speaking about just over a month ago is still intact? If it is intact where does this massive stock of ivories originate in Tanzania? Is there someone who has been able to hold onto probably the largest stockpile of ivories in private hands? Who is he and where does he get his audacity to trade in ivory?
What is more alarming - for some of us anyway - is that only less then two months after the government had pushed again the idea of selling its ivories stockpiles two containers have been seized in Hong Kong in what I can only speculate that is probably linked to the Tanzanian ivory stockpiles. But more interesting is that the containers seems to have been shipped from Tanzania and no one in our government was able to stop the shipment until it reached its destination in the Far East.
What are the chances that the ivory seized in Hong Kong are part of the same stockpile spoken about by Nyalandu? Who is trying to sell them? Can Nyalandu assure the country that the stockpile that he was speaking about just over a month ago is still intact? If it is intact where does this massive stock of ivories originate in Tanzania? Is there someone who has been able to hold onto probably the largest stockpile of ivories in private hands? Who is he and where does he get his audacity to trade in ivory?