May 31, 2007
ADDIS ABABA (Reuters) – A thousand rare black-mane lions — an Ethiopian national symbol — and some 300 elephants are in danger after a swathe of forest that was part of their sanctuary was cut down, a wildlife expert said on Thursday.
The land was cleared from a designated conservation area at Midiga Tola, adjacent to the Babile Elephant Sanctuary located 557 km (346 miles) east of Addis Ababa, Ethiopian Wildlife Association President Yirmed Demeke said.
Flora EcoPower Holding AG, a German biodiesel producer, cleared the forest after it was granted 10,000 hectares of land, Yirmed said.
“The company has continued to clear the forested land without any concern for the wild anmials threatened by the destruction of an internationally recognized conservation area,” Yirmed said.
Munich-based Flora EcoPower’s chief operations officer for Ethiopia said the company met wildlife experts and government officials over the past few days to solve the problem.
“We are not touching one area where there are elephants,” said Alon Hovev, adding that the area they were working in was 30 km from the elephants’ habitat.
The problem, he said, arose from a lack of communication between the company and conservation groups, which had been solved by the meetings.
“No one can tell us we are not taking care of animals. Anything they will tell us to do, we will do and we will contribute money,” he said.
Wildlife experts who visited the forest lodged protests with the regional and federal governments, saying the company had not conducted the legally required environmental impact assessment before cutting the forest down.
Tadesse Hailu, head of the Ministry of Agriculture’s Wildlife Protection Department, said local authorities must make sure that investment does not harm conservation areas, wildlife or the environment.
The 7,000 square-kilometer (4,350 square mile) sanctuary is the only one of its kind in Ethiopia, and is home to about 300 elephants, 1,000 black-mane lions and 250 bird and plant species endemic to the Horn of Africa nation.
The black-mane lions are revered as a national symbol in Ethiopia, where they are on the national currency and are often depicted in statues.
Scores of the black-maned lions are kept in a zoo in the capital Addis Ababa. Wildlife experts estimate that only about 1,000 remain in the wild.
(Additional reporting by Bryson Hull in Nairobi)
5 thoughts on “Ethiopian elephants, lions face extinction”
It is not only the people. Every living organizm in Ethiopia is suffering under the band of hayenas called ‘woyanne’
This is sad news man, Ethiopian animals should be better taking care of.
PS: Elias, your site rocks, nice new addition you have here. Keep up the fight bro, your struggle will mark you in the history books! Our kids, kids will talk about you!
Jebha
Woyane is working hard to make Ethiopia a Tree Free Country before 2020. It is not the first time to hear such kinds of tragedy stories. After making my lovely nation a Land Locked, Zenawi keeps deystoying and robbing every resources the country has.
I am not surprised what the so called “Ethiopian Government is doing”.As long as it is not violating interest of the ruling party, anything could happen (most web sites are blocked, even text messages that were allowed for short while are now completely blocked. It looks the world is saying “take it easy” I am really sorry about the loss interest of internatinal media on news coverage on issues realated to repression of human rights and the same is true on the destruction of the biodiversity. The country is one of the signator of CBD(Convention on Biodiversity)and many more international conventions. The international institutions do not the have the courage to suite the case. Why??!!
The world is less is interested to say “stop it” why and how long?!!
When will the environmental destruction stop? The air pollution in the capital city is unbearable and getting worse by the day, and now the destruction of forests with wanton disregard for the wild life and flora is the trade mark of a regime bent on cutting its nose to despise its face.
God save Ethiopia