DODOMA, May 3 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian authorities on Thursday announced measures to control human-wildlife conflicts, mainly elephant attacks.
Minister of Natural Resources and Tourism Angellah Kairuki told the parliament in the capital of Dodoma that one of the measures is to hire 1,187 new game rangers over the next two years to strengthen wildlife conservation and control wild animals from raiding residential areas.
She said the game rangers will be deployed to the Tanzania National Parks, the Tanzania Wildlife Management Authority, and the Ngorongoro Conservation Area Authority.
Responding to concerns raised by members of parliament about the increasing number of elephant attacks across the country, Kairuki mentioned another measure to continue collaring elephants, which would enable game rangers to track stray elephants that raid farm crops and residential areas.
She said 157 adult elephants have already been fitted with collars, including Global Positioning System and Global System for Mobile Communications tracking devices, which are placed around an elephant's neck to monitor its movements and behavior and assist with conservation actions.
She also said the ministry is planning to build dams in some game reserves and national parks to provide water for animals during the dry season and discourage them from raiding residential areas in search of water. ■