Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 358158,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/358158/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 91,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Whereas I agree with the Motion and the Mover is actually asking us to increase the number of game rangers to be deployed in the various parks and to increase punitive measure, I want to question the first part. I am not so sure if increasing punitive measures has always occasioned a reduction in the cases of poaching. I wait for the Mover to think through that. I think that an increase in the number of game rangers is not enough. I would like to propose several other things that we could do jointly. The first one would be an increase in the skills that we give to the various rangers. You will find that poachers are sophisticated. They are intelligent. If you have rangers who are inadequate intellectually then you have a problem. Poaching has gone hitech. They have highly sophisticated equipment. If you are going to have an increased number of game rangers, it is incumbent upon the Government to provide the game rangers with sophisticated equipment. With regard to communities that border the various game reserves and the national parks, there is need to create buffer community initiatives to support these communities. These communities are in need. They support poaching as a manner of earning some income. If the Government can think of projects to support them in terms of getting money, that would be a better way of ensuring that the communities play a part in curbing poaching as opposed to just punishing poachers as a matter of deterrence. Hon. Deputy Speaker, other jurisdictions have dealt with poaching by making sure that the price of ivory is diminished by activities like dehorning animals such as elephants and rhinos. That way, the price of ivory is diminished. The cost incidental to poaching is also not very attractive and you end up with few poachers. Hon. Deputy Speaker, the Government has boasted of being hightech and I think we must explore technological solutions. One such solution would be radar systems to detect human beings in parks. Other jurisdictions have exploited methods of detecting human beings who walk around the parks. That will help in detecting people who are in the parks illegally and, as a consequence, as opposed to just punishing the poachers, we will be finding ways and methods of detecting who are in the park illegally before they end up doing the acts that took them to the park."
}