Under Threat: Poaching Strangles South Sudan’s Wildlife

Adamant poachers and traffickers persist devouring South Sudan’s wildlife despite several arrests and prosecution, leaving the government in dilemma.

The ministry of wildlife conservation and tourism is alarmed by the continued trend which could lead to extinction of rare species.

South Sudan is a home to an abundant wildlife and vast untouched natural beauty, despite drowning into series of civil conflicts in decades.

The country is endowed with six national game parks and 12 game reserves, in addition, the young nation harbors Africa’s largest wetland, the Sud.

South Sudan boosts of a number of rare animal species in the globe, such as the “Tiang”, the White eared Kobs and it has the largest wildlife migration in Africa.

Pangolin, Elephants, Wild dog, Rhinoceros, Ostriches, Leopards, Grey Zebra, Cheetah and Nubian Giraffe, are some of South Sudan’s wildlife species at brink of extinction.

Amidst the persistent illicit trade that endangers the fauna, South Sudan’s wildlife continues to thrive.

An aerial assessment by Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), the first of a kind after protracted civil wars, indicates a significant population of fauna and flora persevered to survive.

The national wildlife survey unveiled amazing statistic, which calls for strengthening conservation of iconic species that grapple extinction due to human-induced threats.

On declaring the survey report, President Salva Kiir Mayardit announced Wildlife population standing at about 6 million.

He called on citizens to protect and allow animals to breed, asserting that it would boost the country’s revenue.

The head-of-state also hinted that his administration would reactivate and boost the six national parks and a dozen game reserves that cover more than 13% of the terrain.

A conservation scientist, Dr. Mike Fay, who led the survey, marvelled at what he witnessed, referring to the presence of antelopes as “spectacular” and “bigger than any other concentration in the planet.”

“We are telling the world that South Sudan has the largest, large mammal migration on the planet,” he remarked.

However, the burden of protecting the bounty and endangered species that have survived catastrophic situations, weighs on the national Director General for Wildlife, Lt. Gen. Khamis Adieng, at the helm.

Lt. Gen. Adieng, who expresses frustration over the ill practices, says hundreds of animals are being killed every moment while tones of wildlife products ferried to Juba and out of the country through various routes.

"Tiang” is one of the animal species most at threat. Along the Jonglei landscape, “poachers kill the animals on daily basis and could finish them,” he laments.

South Sudan requires robust measure to control activities that endanger the country’s wildlife and save this nature treasure which encounters several hurdles.

Describing it as "an organized business,", Lt. Gen. Adieng notes that the perpetrators go to the bushes with motorbikes, “two on each motorbike, and each motorbike comes back with at least four dead animals.”

“They load them on vehicles and bring them to Juba. Some, we arrest and we miss others," he narrated.

The surge in poaching in the country is linked to proliferation of firearms and the civil conflicts, as well as porous borders and economic crises.

“These factors are exacerbating endangering the wildlife,” the Director General said.

South Sudan shares borders with Sudan, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, the Central African Republic, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The ministry notes that the conflict in Sudan enables poachers to seek new routes, particularly in the eastern, western, and central Equatoria states.

“Jonglei remains a significant area for poaching due to the high demand for meat in Juba,” Lt. Gen. Adieng said.

In early May, this year, authorities intercepted a woman carrying elephant tusks along the Juba-Bor Road.

Upon questioning, she claimed she intended to send them to her relatives in Australia as cultural items.

Many communities in South Sudan use wildlife products for cultural purposes and as a form of protection within families.

The senior wildlife protectionist highlights the shift in smuggling routes due to the outbreak of war in Sudan.

“Formerly, Sudan served as the primary route for smuggling wildlife and products from South Sudan to other destinations,” Lt. Gen. Adieng said. However, he emphasized that due to inadequate control over the borders with the DRC, Central Africa, and Uganda, “these vast areas have become the preferred routes for the majority of smugglers.”

Law enforcement challenges hindering conservation efforts

Above all, Lt. Gen. Adieng says that lack of proper laws to execute suspects of wildlife offences, remains the main challenge, the ministry faces.

“We have arrested people, several cars including busses along the routes ferrying wildlife products to Juba but no action has been taken,” he lamented.

“We have started with our legal framework; we have updated our laws and some of the laws are now in the parliament and coming out from very soon and very high government willingness to support the conservation” Adieng revealed.

Emphasizing the ministry's role in arresting offenders, Lt. Gen. Adieng laments the sluggish court proceeding that take up to two years, without rendering justice. He believes that joining a regional body could relieve the strain.

“I am not blaming anybody; it seems the system is very poor,” he remarks, calling for action and urging regional cooperation within the East African Community.

Badingilo National Park, which covers Eastern Equatoria is the second-largest annual migratory route for various species.

However, cultural beliefs and fears have endangered animals such as leopards, lions, cheetahs, and giraffes.

 "In the past, people coexisted with these animals, and hunting methods were not as primitive as they are now, with the use of machine guns decreasing animals' chances of survival," Lt. Gen. Adieng remarked.

Reflecting on the decline in elephant populations, Adieng notes that, "in the 1980s, South Sudan region had over 100,000 elephants, but their numbers have drastically reduced but with the measures we are implementing, we hope to see their populations recover."

Thanks to technological advancements, the ministry has initiated the tagging of some animals with GPS devices to track their movements, offering hope for reducing poaching.

 "We have conducted the largest-scale tagging ever done worldwide, with GPS devices attached to the necks of 126 animals," stated a ministry representative.

"This enables us to monitor all the animals remotely from Juba."

In addition to technological measures, wildlife officers have implemented more checkpoints along certain routes to regulate traffic.

However, there have been sightings of vehicles, including army trucks and Africa Resources Corporation (ARC) a Construction Company Sino trucks, transporting bush meat.

A driver from ARC, a company sanctioned by the US in 2021, who prefers not to be named for his security reasons, admits that their vehicles are rarely inspected along routes to Juba, allowing them to transport bush meat with ease.

"Our vehicles are rarely checked, except around Bilnyang due to the presence of sniffing dogs from new contracted companies in Badingilo," the driver explains, suggesting that this situation facilitates their activities.

Directorate of Wildlife Crime Unity reports indicate arrest of several vehicle and individuals.

In January 2023, poachers were arrested while transporting thousands of kilograms of bush meat from Badingilo National Park and Lafon County from at least 110 animals including antelopes.

“Our perception towards wildlife is negative. We strongly believe that these animals are created to be eaten, not more than that and it will take time and time for us to correct this understanding and it’s our role as government to start providing awareness” Adieng noted.

The reports specified arrest of 26 suspects traced between 2017 and April 2023, with five cases registered at high court.

Two containers filled with dried bush meat mostly of Tiang, were impounded enroute Juba.

The officials at the ministry of wildlife say due to lack of jobs and poor pay for the soldiers this has also made people to go on a spree to kill the animals and sell them in Juba.

In a recent operation, the wildlife ministry intercepted twelve vehicles, including two buses, along the Juba-Bor Road, all carrying wildlife products. The ministry reports that the buses were transporting 36 sacks of bush meat.

A bus owned by Eco Bus Company was seized among those transporting bush meat but Koch Madut, the Managing Director company reveals that since the bus was impounded, he hasn't been summoned to court.

Despite the police not having any issue with him, Madut contends that the Ministry of Wildlife's decision to retain the bus is causing financial losses.

He questions why the ministry hasn't directly engaged with the company, especially since the police have issued a release notice and are aware of the owner of the bush meat.

“They know the owner of the bush meat, why not deal with him directly?” he questioned.

Meanwhile, the Chairperson of Wildlife Conservation and Tourism committee at the transitional national legislative assembly (TNLA), Wilson Lodiong Sebit, acknowledges challenges of inadequate legal protection, hindering conservation efforts.

He reveals that the wildlife conservation bill, which is crucial for enhancing legal safeguards, remains stalled in his office.

"The wildlife conservation bill is in my office," he confirms, noting its initial tabling in October 2023. However, resource constraints are impeding progress.

"If we get resources, we shall table it," Lodiong assures.

Pangolins; species at threat

In 2016, security recovered 10 kilograms of frozen pangolin meat at Juba International Airport, which was being transported by a Chinese worker from the oil fields.

Lt. Gen. Adieng explains that some Chinese individuals believe in the medicinal properties of pangolins, leading to their purchase and transportation to China.

Additionally, within South Sudan, the demand for pangolin scales and meat is high for the belief that the animal has healing abilities and brings luck. A significant portion of pangolins is also being exported to China.

Though pangolin is a common species in Africa, South Sudan is home to four species, mainly found in Lakes State, Unity State, and Western Equatoria State.

The high demand has caused the species being depleted.

The ministry of Wildlife conservation and tourism reports seeking to address this issue by collaborating with neighboring countries to combat the rampant smuggling of pangolin scales.

Conservation efforts and technological innovations

The ministry acknowledges its inability to monitor all wildlife in the country due to limited capacity, prompting enlist the help of two companies for conservation efforts.

The Director General for Wildlife, disclosed that the ministry has enlisted some NGOs to support conservation efforts.

"African Parks, operating in over 12 African countries,” manages Badingilo and Boma National Parks, while, Fauna and Flora International (FFI) “operates in western Equatoria,” he said.

*This story was produced by a South Sudanese journalist who didn’t want to mention his name for security reasons in partnership with InfoNile and funding from the Earth Journalism Network (EJN)