Authors: Michael Daniel | | Published: 1 hour ago
Oryx and WCS Cessna shadow, Boma National Park. Photo by Paul Elkan and J. Michael Fay. ©2007 National Geographic/ Wildlife Conservation Society
The Ministry of Wildlife says it will deploy additional checkpoints across Jonglei State to curb poaching and protect the country’s wildlife.
Lt. Gen. Khamis Adiang Ding, Director General of the National Wildlife Service, made the announcement during an inspection on Saturday.
He said all vehicles, including cars and motorbikes, will be checked for violations of wildlife laws, including the transport of wildlife meat or other animal products.
“Stop anybody passing by here riding a car or motorbike and check if they are violating the wildlife law and carrying wildlife meat or other wildlife items,” General Adiang said on state television SSBC yesterday.
He urged wildlife officers to respect human rights during inspections, saying, “You don’t need to be heartless when conducting inspections to detect smuggling or the transport of illegally hunted meat; you need to act with some humanity. We have no conflict with this person, we are simply carrying out our duty by inspecting for prohibited items issued by the Ministry of Wildlife.
“If someone is caught in the act, you should transfer them to the police for investigation,” he added
General Adiang also said the Ministry plans to establish more checkpoints in Jonglei and Bor to reduce the smuggling of wildlife products.
Since 2018, South Sudan has banned all forms of wildlife hunting and commercial trade in wildlife products, including meat and trophies. Despite the regulations, poaching and the illegal bushmeat trade continue to threaten species such as elephants, giraffes, and antelopes.
