Gam invader animals may be destroyed

A RECENT fact-finding mission to the Nyae-Nyae Conservancy has recommended to Cabinet that cattle from the neighbouring Gam area should be destroyed to guard against an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease (FMD)

The mission, led by the Permanent Secretary of Information and Communication Technology, Mbeuta Ua-Ndjarakana, was sent to the area from May 18 to 22 to assess the situation after farmers from the Gam area destroyed the veterinary fence and invade the protected Nyae-Nyae conservancy.The mission took place three weeks after the invasion, and more than a month later, Government has still not taken any action.Andrew Ndhishishi, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry, confirmed to The Namibian yesterday that the report ‘is before Cabinet’, but would not comment on its contents, saying information would be made public only once Cabinet had made a decision.’But what should be known is that the veterinary law was violated, and that the animals cannot be returned to the Gam area, and that conservancy laws were also violated,’ he added.Ua-Ndjarakana is currently on leave and efforts to reach him on his cellphone proved futile.The Secretary to Cabinet, Frans Kapofi, who was out of town when contacted, directed questions to the Ministry of Information.The Namibian was, however, able to get hold of the confidential report to Cabinet, which concludes that ‘it is important that a decision on this matter is made as soon as possible to both send a strong message to would-be perpetrators of invasion into the Nyae-Nyae Conservancy and to address the recommendations and the concerns of the parties involved’.Two of the nine recommendations made in the report to Cabinet propose that ‘the animals be destroyed with minimal compensation in order to send a strong message that disregard for Veterinary Cordon Fence is a serious offence’ and that ‘animals that are smuggled or stray back to Gam should be destroyed on the spot’. The recommendations are points four and five on the list, which placed recommendations in order of importance.A total of 1 210 cattle, 16 sheep, 45 goats, 19 horses and 28 donkeys were illegally moved through the veterinary fence into the conservancy, which has a lower disease status than Gam. Of these, cattle, sheep and goats are able to contract and spread FMD.The report also recommends that Gam remain under quarantine until such time that ‘the movement of livestock from Gam to the Nyae-Nyae conservancy is completely stopped’; ‘the damaged veterinary cordon fence has been fully repaired’; the necessary health status tests on the animals have been made and results are negative; and ‘all the necessary surveillance measures have been done’.The animals were moved into the conservancy after the farmers, according to the report, caused ‘extensive damage on the game-proof part of the (fence) as well as lesser damage on the cattle fence’, with over 300 breaks in the fence having been observed by veterinary officials in the area. The mission notes in the report that repairs to the fence would bear ‘heavy financial implications’, that ‘the numerous breaks along the VCF mean that there is a high risk of animals crossing over the remaining short fence and the damaged high fence, thereby rendering the disease control efforts difficult’.Other recommendations include intensifying and making constant Police and veterinary patrols of the veterinary cordon fence; not returning the animals to Gam; selling the animals with proceeds going to future restocking at Gam; finding an alternative resettlement area outside the conservancy, but north of the veterinary cordon fence; making available more manpower to look after the animals in order to reduce losses; releasing ‘more and urgent resources for the speedy reinforcement and repair’ of the fence; and considering the ‘erection of an elephant-cable fence to minimise the damage to the fence by elephants.’Meanwhile, Inspector Samuel Gariseb, Station Commander at the Tsumkwe Police station, confirmed to The Namibian that no more arrests have been made in the past two weeks. He said the last three invading farmers appeared in court on Wednesday. One of the three was a minor, and was released into the custody of his parents, while the other two were released on bail. A total of 32 farmers have been arrested in connection with the invasion.The conservancy and the Working Group of Indigenous Minorities in Southern Africa (WIMSA), with the with the assistance of the Legal Assistance Centre, plan to sue the farmers for more than N$600 000 in camping fees, potential loss of income from trophy hunting, loss of income from harvesting of the devil’s claw plants being destroyed by the cattle, water and grazing consumption, and the infringement of rights of the members of the conservancy.nangula@namibian.com.na