villagers to be paid over farm losses

MINISTRY of Natural Resources and Tourism has demanded
an immediate evaluation report and a name list of peasants
whose crops have been destroyed by rampaging elephants
in Mara Region.
The Ministry's Deputy Minister, Mr Mahmoud Mgimwa,
made a working tour in Serengeti District on Tuesday and
ordered officials to submit the report in a bid to speed up a
compensation process without delay. Officials estimate that
Serengeti District has 27 villages with several hundreds
families.
The area is prone to attacks from stray elephants hailing
from game protected areas including the world famous
Serengeti National Park (SENAPA). Rampaging elephants
are cited to be the cause of under-development and frequent
shortages of food in the villages.
Recently, Serengeti councillors complained that the problem
of destructive jumbos was getting out of hand in the villages
and called for immediate intervention from the Natural
Resources and Tourism Ministry.
Mr Mgimwa consoled all villagers who have been badly
affected by destructive elephants in Serengeti and other
parts of Mara Region.
"I urge all districts that are yet to bring their evaluation
reports on the destruction caused by elephants to do so
immediately," the deputy minister said at a meeting with
local leaders and Mara officials which he convened at
Giraffe Hotel in Mugumu town.
Increased human/wildlife conflicts here was also one of the
critical issues discussed at the meeting. Land disputes
between Tanzania National Park (TANAPA) was cited as the
major conflict fueling human/wildlife conflict in the area.
Earlier on the same day Mr Mgimwa officially opened a
special event held to promote cultural tourism in the district
and hailed the initiative. The event was organised by
Serengeti Cultural Centre, an organisation based in Mugumu
town, the capital of Serengeti District.