We are writing to express our deep concern about the unfolding illegal hunting that is taking place in Somaliland. We believe the biggest threat to our precious natural resources after the habitat destruction is the organized poachers based in the Gulf States. We are afraid that many endangered species of the country may be lost unless immediate actions are taken by your Ministry.

We are wondering why the government has done so little to protect the country’s wildlife. We are aware the lack of both capacity and resources to tackle this issue. But, we feel the major factor is the inability of the government to regulate hunting which increases the incentives of the poachers.

As a mater of fact on Friday 14 th of December 2007 we have witnessed a group of 10 – 15 poachers from Dubai who landed at Berbera International Airport carrying sophisticated equipment. The poachers quickly loaded their food, falcons, nets, shelters and other hunting equipment into three Toyota Land Cruisers (number plates: SL 22989, SL 21659 and SL 22741) and one yellow pick-up truck, and drove off to the eastern region of Sahil (east of Berbera). This is not the first time that the Arab sheikhs visited the country to illegally hunt endangered species, but their activities have increased for the past few years with the help of Somalilander guides.

We are, therefore, extremely disturbed by your press release published in the Somaliland Net on 11 th of January 2008, in which you denied the illegal hunting by Arab sheikhs. To our amazement the press release was full of inaccuracies. We are, therefore, compelled to comment upon some of your statements with the intention of protecting the wildlife of the country from illegal hunters and to alert the government and the public to the potential dangers that the country may face if poachers are permitted to operate in the country.

Before commenting on your statements, we would like to make the following points:

Wildlife in Somaliland

Somaliland had remarkable wealth of wildlife and it was regarded one of the best wildlife centres in Africa reflecting its high diversity of ecosystems and habitats. However, for the past three decades the wildlife populations have declined sharply throughout the country and many species have already become extinct. This is mainly due to loss of habitat and poaching for food. But the major anthropogenic factors causing the extinction of various endangered species (such as antelopes - gerenuk and various subspecies of gazelle –, houbara bustards, ostrich, and birds of prey) is uncontrolled illegal hunting and wildlife trading as well as non existent of wildlife conservation in the country. Therefore, unless effective conservation actions are taken by your Ministry the destruction will go on to the extent that most of the wildlife species will inevitably disappear from the country.

Sport Hunting by Arab Sheikhs

It is well known that Arab sheikhs from Gulf States hunted many species of endangered wildlife, including Arabian gazelle and Arabian ostrich, in the Arabian Peninsula to the point of extinction using powerful 4WD vehicles, rifles and machine guns, and even helicopters and planes. Currently, the most relentlessly hunted animal by Arab sheikhs is the houbara bustard causing many populations of the bird to disappear. Coastal plains of Somaliland have sizeable population of at least five species of houbara bustard. In many countries around the world, the houbara bustard is totally protected from hunting. However, in Somaliland the houbara is not protected at all! Therefore, it is an easy prey for these poachers who have high tech hunting gear.

Since the Arab sheikhs hunted out the houbara and other endangered species on the Arabian Peninsula, they moved to Somaliland to destroy the wildlife and biodiversity of the country. No other countries are allowing these Arab sheikhs to hunt endangered species in their territories except few corrupt governments in Asia and Africa.

Mr. Minister in the press release published on 11 th January 2008

You admitted inviting Arab sheikhs to the country

To our surprise you admitted that your Ministry has invited the Arab sheikhs to the country to help the Ministry with the “garanwaa” tree (prosopis juliflora) which is causing problems to the pastures and farming areas of the country.

With all due respect, we do not believe that this is the case. Undoubtedly they are in the country to pursue and kill hundreds of wildlife including houbara bustards and antelopes, which are considered endangered and declining in many parts of the country. It is appalling to know that your Ministry has invited these wealthy princes to the country as their hunting playground.

You admitted Arab sheikhs hunted gazelles

You admitted that the Arab sheikhs visited Sahil region but denied that they were hunting. However, in the same press release you confessed that your Ministry has allowed them to hunt a male gazelle once every three days. Also, you confirmed that they killed at least one ostrich.

This is shocking and revealing!

It is not the first time that the Arab sheikhs illegally hunted the endangered species of the country, but what surprised and shocked us was the extent of the support they received from your Ministry.

O Minister! Can you elucidate how many days that the Arab sheikhs remained or will remain in the country and how many gazelles will they consume. Using your numbers we estimate they will hunt down up to 100 – 150 gazelles assuming they remind in the country for a month. This is roughly equivalent to off-take of 10 – 15% of the total population of gazelles in eastern Sahil region, which is definitely not sustainable.

In addition, the coastal plains of Sahil region are important refuge for wildlife and are breeding areas for many birds including houbara. We believe illegal hunting by Arab sheikhs will lead to the loss of natural habitats and extinction of many endangered species including houbara as happed to Arabian Peninsula and Pakistan.

Furthermore, contrary to your admission, according to eye witnesses the Arab sheikhs have been hunting on a large scale in eastern Sahil region. They used trained falcons to harass and capture hundreds of antelopes, houbara and birds of prey. These endangered species are shipped back to the Gulf States at a local port close to the coastal village of Karin. We should also point out that the ecological damage caused by these hunting gangs is enormous. They caused flattening of the landscape and destruction of flora and fauna in many parts of the country.

So far, poachers from Gulf States are operating in the country, but we fear that other poachers from different parts of the world may follow if the government failed to address the issue seriously. On the positive side, wildlife can be used as a source of income for local communities if managed properly, as they attract many tourists around the world. Moreover, wildlife plays an important role to maintain the beauty and natural ecosystem of the country.

Recommendations

Mr. Minister, on the basis of the above account, it is clear that illegal hunting and trading are taking place in the country. We, therefore, urge you to:

Halt immediately all illegal hunting and trading in the country and bring those who are responsible to justice.
Enforce the current laws that protect wildlife and work with the Parliament to pass appropriate laws, policies and management action plans to protect wildlife and to punish those who violate the laws.
Educate the public about preservation of the country’s wildlife and promote a more sustainable use of natural resources of the country.
Collect biodiversity data including species habitats and determine rare and endangered species in the country.
Establish continuous monitoring programs to update the biodiversity database.
Control strictly the exit posts of the country (airports and ports) to prevent exporting of wildlife especially to the Gulf States and Yemen.
Establish National Parks and wildlife reserves.

We recognise that some of the above recommendations will require a lot of resources, effort, time and know-how (e.g., creating and populating the biodiversity database), but it is worthwhile to begin the process now.

Finally, we would like to stress that we have no political motivation at all, and we have no ill-will towards you or your Ministry. O ur interest is purely to protect the natural resources of the country. Also, we would like to remind you that Somaliland’s rich biodiversity is a natural heritage and asset, and you are entrusted to protect it.

We look forward to your response to this very urgent matter.

Yours Sincerely,

Mohammed Yusuf
Suleiman Ainanshe

We can be contacted at: mohammed_yuusuf@hotmail.com

C. C: HE. Dahir Riyale Kahin , President of Somaliland

Hon. Abdirahman Mohammed Abdullahi, MP, Speaker of House of Representatives

Home | Contact us | Links | Archives | Search