Tanzania has strongly faulted a recent report by the international organizations, saying they were spreading a misleading and exaggerated narrative about an isolated poaching related incident in Ruaha National Park that left one dead.
A fortnight ago, some human rights organizations spread information alleging that Tanzania National Parks (TANAPA) rangers killed two villagers within disputed park boundaries and implicated the World Bank, claiming its funding of the REGROW project enhanced ranger enforcement, enabling such incidents.
TANAPA says that on May 7, 2025, a four-ranger patrol team from Ruaha National Park’s Usangu West unit conducted a routine operation in the Mjenje area.
They seized 1,113 livestock illegally grazing in the park, according to Southern Zone Commander, Senior Assistant Conservation Commissioner Godwell Ole Meing’ataki.
Approximately ten herders fled upon discerning the rangers. The team began moving the livestock to the Ukwaheri ranger post, eight kilometers away.
Around midnight, an unidentified crowd ambushed the patrol team, attempting to reclaim the livestock using traditional weapons, including arrows and spears.
“The rangers fired warning shots into the air in their desperate attempt to disperse the aggressors. The team then safely delivered the livestock to the Ukwaheri ranger’s post within an hour,” Meing’ataki explained.
The next morning, May 8, the Mbarali District Officer Commanding (OCD) informed park authorities that a man from Iyala village had died during the confrontation.
A joint team of police, park officials, and a medical doctor visited Iyala village to examine the deceased and collect information.
They proceeded to the ambush site, recovering evidence, including traditional weapons and three injured cattle, before inspecting the seized livestock at the Ukwaheri ranger’s post and interrogating the rangers involved.
The rangers are currently in police custody pending further investigation.
At a ceremony marking the release of 500 seized livestock to resolve standoff between local herders and conservation authorities, TANAPA’s Assistant Conservation Commissioner for Corporate Communication, Catherine Mbena, expressed concern over the incident’s portrayal by international NGOs.
“This occasion symbolizes our commitment to amicably resolving conflicts with local communities,” she said, amid applause from the crowd.
She emphasized that TANAPA, which manages 21 national parks, operates for both national and global benefit, aligning its conservation efforts with international interests.
Mbena dismissed the allegations as a deliberate attempt to unfairly tarnish Tanzania’s reputation.
TANAPA doesn't condone human rights abuse that's why we are cooperating with other security enforcers to investigate the incident where one person died under controversial circumstances” she explained.
Mbena added: “Our anti-poaching efforts protect global natural heritage. Condemning our rangers without acknowledging the dangers they face or their critical work is reckless and uninformed.”
She denied the claim that TANAPA’s rangers competence in Ruaha are tied to World Bank funding.“It’s absurd to suggest Ruaha’s rangers only existed after the REGROW project,” she said.
“TANAPA has managed Ruaha, one of our 21 national parks spanning an area larger than Germany, for over 60 years. If we were as irresponsible as claimed, millions of poachers or trespassers would have been killed, which is simply untrue.” Mbena said.
“This one-sided narrative ignores the realities on the ground and the sacrifices our rangers make to protect Tanzania’s biodiversity,” she noted.
TANAPA reaffirmed its commitment to ethical conservation and called for fair, evidence-based discourse that respects the complexities of protecting national parks while addressing community concerns.
In 2003, agricultural and pastoral mismanagement, combined with population growth, drastically reduced Ruaha river flows, impacting hydropower generation and causing widespread power outages.
The drying of the Ihefu Valley and Usangu Plains, critical water catchment areas for the Great Ruaha River, has had severe consequences, prompting Tanzania government to integrate these key areas into Ruaha National Park for conservation purposes.
This river supplies three hydropower dams (Mtera, Kidatu, and Nyerere), generating about two-thirds of Tanzania’s electricity. Power shortages affect manufacturing, businesses, and tax revenues.
Findings from the Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute (TAWIRI) show that declining water flows in the Great Ruaha River and its tributaries have significantly impacted buffalo populations and other wildlife in Ruaha National Park.
The Sangu ethnic group, traditional pastoralists in these areas, was historically small in number and lacked sufficient cattle to raise concerns.
But, owing to Pastoralists migration from elsewhere, the Mbarali District, with capacity to handle less than 60,000 cattles, now is a sanctuary to 300,000 cattle.
As a result, they face challenges alongside countless downstream water users.
Water scarcity exacerbates these issues, with 2,000 liters needed for one liter of milk, 5,000 liters for a kilogram of rice, and 22,000 liters for a kilogram of beef—resources barely sufficient for a single Tanzanian household meal.