DEFENCEWEB
The German government donated two Husky fixed-wing light aircraft to the Tanzania National Parks and Tanzania Wildlife Authority to help combat wildlife poaching.
The aircraft were donated through the Frankfurt Zoological Society to be used to monitor Tanzania’s elephant hot spots, including the Selous Game Reserve and Serengeti National Park. Pilots will patrol for poachers, help rangers coordinate forces on the ground, and carry out wildlife censuses and habitat monitoring.
The aircraft were handed over in November 2015 at Arusha airport in a ceremony attended by Serengeti Chief Park Warden William Mwakilema; Alan Kijazi, director of Tanzania National Parks; and Martin Loibooki, director of the newly established Tanzania Wildlife Authority.
The Frankfurt Zoological Society gave a Husky to Zambia in early 2016 and provided support to the Zambia Wildlife Authority. It will be used to monitor that country’s elephant and black rhino populations.
The Husky A-1C is a two-seat light aircraft manufactured by U.S. company Aviat. It features dual controls and has a high-wing design, making it ideal for observation and patrol. It has been widely used for these roles, including by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Kenya Wildlife Service to monitor elephant herds.
Tanzania lost about 85,000 elephants to poaching between 2009 and 2014. Conservation groups blamed “industrial-scale” poaching.