Malawi turns to British troops in poaching war

– ‘Winning the war’ –

Malawian ranger Edward Makupiza said that in the past he feared being shot by heavily armed Mozambican poachers who carry assault rifles when they cross the border in to Malawi in pursuit of elephants.

“But now after training with the British army, I know how to protect myself and others from danger.”

Craig Reid runs African Parks, a conservation organisation that manages several game parks under a deal with Lilongwe, and said his team had pioneered the use of cyber-trackers and drones to tackle poaching.

“The landscape has changed and we have become much more professional in dealing with poaching,” he said.

The park also owns a helicopter used to help track poachers.

“It’s an expensive asset — but it pays to use it,” Reid said.

“Poaching is declining dramatically,” he said, with officers having seized 27,000 wire snares, 43 kilograms of ivory and 56 rounds of illegal ammunition from poachers between from August 2015 and October 2017 according to African Parks.

Patrols at the park have led to the arrest of 130 poachers, most of whom have been sentenced to jail terms of at least six years following a move by the government to stiffen penalties. The maximum sentence is now 30 years.

“We are winning the war against poaching,” Kumchedwa said.