Wildlife Conservation: Government Offers Motorbikes To Stem Poaching

After acquiring and distributing 96 motorbikes earlier this year to boost wildlife conservation in the country’s protected areas, the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife, MINFOF, on Wednesday October 14, 2020 continued with the initiative. At a ceremony in the Mvog-Betsi, Yaounde Zoo-Botanic Garden, MINFOF Permanent Secretary, Joseph Nyongwen, handed over 12 motorbikes to 12 conservators of protected areas.

Langsi George Ngwa, Conservator of Bayang Mbo Wildlife Sanctuary in the Kupe Muanenguba and Manyu Divisions of the South West Region said the bike will enhance his team’s anti-poaching patrols. “Before now, movement from one part of the 66,200-hectare sanctuary to another was difficult. Eco-guards used to trek about 8 hours to get to a cluster. But with the offer of the bike, such distances will be reduced to 30 to 40 minutes,” Ngwa told Cameroon Tribune.

He disclosed that because of the armed conflict in the region, poaching has drastically reduced in the sanctuary. “The few poachers still around use traps and no longer firearms to kill large mammals like before,” Ngwa said. “Recently,” he recalled, “we sensitized 75 poachers and they went round the sanctuary with our eco-guards uprooting their traps.” Ngwa added that w...