DAR ES SALAAM, April 3 (Xinhua) -- Tanzania has ruled out elephant culling as a strategy to control rising human-wildlife conflict, instead scaling up rapid-response measures to protect communities from destructive raids, Prime Minister Mwigulu Nchemba has said.
Addressing the parliament on Thursday, Nchemba said the government would not adopt proposals to kill elephants despite growing concerns over crop destruction and fatalities reported in several regions.
Nchemba stressed that Tanzania is bound by international conservation agreements that classify elephants as a protected species, making culling an unacceptable option.
"Tanzania is a signatory to international conventions that prohibit the killing of endangered species except under very strict conditions. Adopting culling would violate these commitments," he said.
Instead, the government is strengthening non-lethal interventions, including the expansion of rapid-response centers in wildlife-prone areas to ensure faster action when elephants stray into farms and settlements.
The prime minister said authorities are also deploying drones to monitor elephant movements and deter them before they reach populated areas, alongside increasing the number of wildlife rangers in high-risk districts.
He reaffirmed the government's commitment to balancing conservation obligations with the protection of livelihoods, noting that further measures will continue to be implemented to address the persistent challenge. ■
