Leading elephant conservationist shot dead in Tanzania
Wayne Lotter had
received numerous death threats while battling international ivory-trafficking
networks
The head of an animal conservation NGO who had received
numerous death threats has been shot and killed by an unknown gunman in Tanzania.
Wayne Lotter, 51, was shot on Wednesday evening in the
Masaki district of the city of Dar es Salaam. The wildlife conservationist was
being driven from the airport to his hotel when his taxi was stopped by another
vehicle. Two men, one armed with a gun opened his car door and shot him.
Lotter was a director and co-founder of the PAMS Foundation,
an NGO that provides conservation and anti-poaching support to communities and
governments in Africa.
Since starting the organisation in Tanzania in 2009, he had received numerous
death threats relating to his work.
Police in Tanzania have launched an investigation into his
death.
The PAMS Foundation funded and supported Tanzania’s elite
anti-poaching National and Transnational Serious Crimes Investigation Unit
(NTSCIU) which was responsible for arrests of major ivory traffickers including
Yang Feng Glan, the so-called “Queen
of Ivory” and several other notorious elephant poachers. Since 2012,
the unit has arrested more than 2,000 poachers and ivory traffickers and has a
conviction rate of 80%. The NTSCIU was recently featured in the Netflix
documentary The
Ivory Game. In a previous interview, Lotter said he believed its work had
helped to reduce poaching rates in Tanzania by at least 50%.
The latest elephant
census data suggests that elephant populations fell by 30% in Africa
between 2007 and 2014. Tanzania experienced one of the biggest declines in
elephant numbers, where the census documented a 60% decrease in the population.
Lotter rarely took credit for PAMS’ success in helping
reduce poaching rates in Tanzania, and was always quick to credit the work of
the communities and agencies he worked with.
Lotter was a big figure in the international conservation
community, having served on the boards of several conservation groups and was
the Vice President of the International Ranger Federation. The news of his
death has sent the community into mourning. “Wayne was one of Africa’s leading
and most committed conservationists. He had over two decades worth of
experience in wildlife management and conservation, and can be credited as the
driving force behind ending the unscrupulous slaughter of Tanzania’s
elephants,” said Azzedine Downes, CEO of the International Fund for Animal
Welfare (IFAW).
“Wayne devoted his life to Africa’s wildlife. From working
as a ranger in his native South Africa as a young man to leading the charge
against poaching in Tanzania, Wayne cared deeply about the people and animals
that populate this world,” read
a statement released by the PAMS Foundation team. “Wayne’s charm,
brilliance and eccentric sense of humour gave him the unique ability to make
those around him constantly laugh and smile. He died bravely fighting for the
cause he was most passionate about.
“Wayne leaves behind his wife Inge, daughters Cara Jayne and
Tamsin, and parents Vera and Charles Lotter. We all grieve with his family,
colleagues and friends. His legacy will continue in our work.”
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