Editorial

EDITORIAL

Swala Twiga decline is Tz’s next conservation test

The latest national wildlife census carries encouraging news for conservation. Lions, elephants, buffaloes, rhinos, giraffes, zebras and several antelope species have either increased or remained stable. These figures confirm that long-term investment in protected areas, anti-poaching systems and scientific monitoring can deliver results. But hidden within this success story is a warning that cannot be ignored: The swala twiga or gerenuk, is declining sharply.

This graceful antelope, with its long neck, slender legs and unusual habit of standing upright to browse, is one of the most distinctive animals in East Africa. Its disappearance would not only be a loss to the country’s biodiversity but also a failure of national conservation responsibility. Minister Ashatu Kijaji’s question, asking who is hunting the swala twiga to extinction, must now be treated as a call to action not a passing concern.

The census may not have provided precise national figures for the species but its conclusion is clear. The gerenuk is in trouble. The fact that recent research in Lake Natron recorded only 172 individuals should alarm every conservation authority. When a person must cover roughly two square kilometres to spot one animal, the country is dealing with more than a population decline. It is dealing with a conservation emergency.

The causes are familiar: Habitat loss, expanding settlements, bushmeat hunting, climate pressure and blocked wildlife corridors. Familiarity, however, must not breed complacency. The country should urgently map remaining gerenuk populations, strengthen patrols in vulnerable ecosystems, protect corridors in Mkomazi, Lake Natron and West Kilimanjaro and involve surrounding communities in conservation benefits.

The broader census proves that recovery is possible when science, enforcement and political will work together. The same seriousness that saved elephants and strengthened rhino numbers must now be directed towards the swala twiga.

A species should not have to vanish before it is valued. We must act now while the gerenuk still stands in our northern landscapes as a symbol of fragile national heritage.

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