By Our Respondents reporter,
Dodoma. The government, through the Ministry of Natural Resources and Tourism, has introduced a digital platform aimed at improving the speed and accuracy of reporting incidents involving dangerous and destructive wild animals.
The platform, known as the Problem Animals Information System (PAIS), will enable the swift collection and processing of data on human–wildlife conflicts to support timely responses and compensation to affected communities.
Speaking in Dodoma while opening a training session for 120 extension officers on behalf of the ministry’s Permanent Secretary, the Director of Wildlife, Dr. Alexander Lobora, said the initiative seeks to ensure that wildlife conservation contributes to national development and community welfare rather than becoming a burden to society.
“In recent years, there has been a surge in incidents involving dangerous and destructive wild animals, which have caused injuries, deaths, destruction of crops, damage to infrastructure, and loss of livestock,” Dr. Lobora said.
He emphasized that the adoption of digital technology is part of the government’s strategy to secure accurate and timely reports, in line with directives from President Samia Suluhu Hassan on prompt compensation—commonly referred to as kifuta jasho and kifuta machozi—for victims of human–wildlife conflicts.
Earlier, Ms. Kay Kagaruki, Assistant Director for Wildlife Utilization, said that while the government’s efforts to conserve natural resources enjoy strong support from stakeholders, challenges such as poaching and recurring human–wildlife conflicts persist.
“To strengthen mitigation efforts, the ministry has developed PAIS, an electronic system for collecting and processing reports of incidents involving problem animals. This will help speed up both control measures and the compensation process,” Ms. Kagaruki said.
On his part, Mr. Theodory Mulokozi, Senior Environmental Officer from the President’s Office – Regional Administration and Local Government (PO-RALG), commended the ministry for organizing the training and providing tools to extension officers. He urged them to use the equipment strictly for its intended purpose.
