Puntland’s Fisheries Minister went on to say that discussions with the French military commanders included media reports of foreign military helicopters hunting wildlife along Somalia’s long coastline, especially the Puntland regions.

The French commanders said they are “not involved” and did “not know who is behind” cases of foreign military helicopters hunting wildlife, including deer, ostrich and pigs, in rural and coastal areas of Somalia.

“As the Ministry of Fisheries, we are in no position to stop illegal acts of hunting wildlife but we will investigate,” Minister Aden said.

Lastly, Puntland’s Fisheries and Marine Resources Minister urged the Somali public to understand that “foreign military off the Somali coast are not working for Somali interests but are pursuing their own interests.”

“Unknown military helicopters, flying from navy ships off the coast of Somalia looted the wild life in Puntland.” Adan Ahmed a Traditional leader in Hafun district said Tuesday. Helicopters flying in low altitude are routinely stealing the wild life in Somalia, he said.

“the residents of Hafun district and the wild life are terrorized by these helicopters and planes. They are looting the wild life by dropping nets and catching the small number of wild life left in the region,” he said.

Adan Ahmed said the planes were routinely taking away wild life, for the past 10 days, in an exclusive interview with Horseed Media.

“… we have informed the district officials, who say they can do nothing about these planes….we can see with our own eyes the helicopters taking off from big ships, that are anchored near Hafun beach…”, Ahmed added.

“…every night we see the lights of the ships, and in the morning these planes took off from the ships, they fly over the land in search for wild animals…we are calling of the Puntland administration to do something….” he said.

“we are told that these navy ships are hunting Somali pirates…but what we see only is, our wild life being looted in front of our own eyes…,” he said.

For the past few weeks, similar stories of wild life being looted by military helicopters, were also told by the elders in Gara’ad district, in Mudug region of Somalia.

Source: Horseed Media

ecoterra intl: Let’s nab the foreign poachers – ECOTERRA sets out award

“This is now the fourth major incident. We have to get to the base of it and see the culprits convicted,” says Dr. Abdulkadir S. Elmi, the country officer of ECOTERRA Intl. in Somalia.

AWARD TO CONVICT FOREIGN WILDLIFE-POACHERS IN SOMALIA.

“ECOTERRA therefore decided to set out a substantial award to reward any person or group which brings substantial evidence, suitable to convict any foreign soldier, a unit of a military force, the country or the command which is involved in the harassment, capture or killing of any wild species in Somalia”.

First the wildlife hunting by foreign troopers in helicopters was reported from Harardheere, then South of Kismayo, then Garacad and now from Hafun and the involvement of people of Somali origin, who serve on these warships and misguide the foreign troopers can not be ruled out.

When the first incident happened ECOTERRA Intl. got in contact with the US Naval Attaché in Nairobi, The US command in Bahrain as well as CENTCOM and AFRICOM, because it was reported that US American choppers were involved. But while US Commander Scott E. Organ tried to convince the environmental protection group that it would be nearly impossible for a US-American helicopter pilot to capture and bring wildlife to an American warship, the official answers from the US-American commands are still outstanding.

“Given the history of US-American poaching in Somalia for Zoos and biological or medical research, we are not so sure if there is no truth behind these local reports,” says Dr. Abdulkadir and recalls that the Americans and Israelis captured the strictly protected Somali Wild Ass in the remote Nugal Valley in clandestine operations and during a similar uncontrolled time of the Somali history. “This is why San Diego Zoo has this rare Somali species in their cages” the wildlife protector explains.

Of the different nations plying the waters off Somalia and having helicopters as well as frustrated and maybe bored pilots with them, many could be those who have been seen now several times to engage in such criminal activities.

“Any hunting of wildlife is strictly forbidden by law in Somalia and the ECOTERRA award can be given to anybody, who provides tangible evidence leading to the establishment of the truth and the prosecution of the culprits.”

ECOTERRA also encourages concious officers on the warships around Somalia to tell the truth behind these repeated reports. Even anonymously leaked information is welcome by e-mail to office[at]ecoterra-international.org and will be treated confidential.

“If it is true, we have to stop the menace immediately and we are also appealing to the many good soldiers on these warships and helicopters to interfere and stop any case of poaching, collection of rare plants or damage to the natural environment of Somalia – be it on land or at sea,” added the wildlife biologist and rangeland manager.

Residents in Somalia’s Puntland State are frequently reporting of foreign helicopters hunting wildlife in rural and coastal areas, Radio Garowe reports.

The reports began in Nov. 2008 and have impacted towns and villages in Puntland’s Nugal, Karkar and Mudug regions.

On Tuesday, a Somali livestock herder named Osman “Zoppe” Hassan Abdirahman who lives in Nugal region’s Godobjiran district reported that foreign helicopters are “terrorizing” local populations.

“I saw with my own eyes a military helicopter flying overhead with a net full of deer hanging below,” Mr. Zoppe said via a telephone interview on Radio Garowe’s Good Morning program.

He described the military helicopters as “spraying the wildlife” before collecting them in big nets and flying away. “Some of my livestock were killed by the spray,” he added, while describing the spray as “a type of poison.”

Mr. Zoppe said the helicopters mostly “collect deer and pigs in the wild” and said local nomad families are “terrorized” by the helicopter’s actions.

He said helicopters from foreign naval warships patrolling Somalia’s long coast, especially the waters around Puntland State, as responsible for hunting the wildlife.

Elders complain about helicopters flying over parts of central Somalia

GALKA’O (Sh. Network) – the traditional elders in several villages in mudug region are complaining about helicopters flying over parts of central Somalia with low level, witnesses told Shabelle radio on Sunday.

One of the traditional elders in Gara’ad village in the area where the airplanes revolving told Shabelle radio that they were complaining about helicopters hunting the wild animals of their villages in Mudug region.

“We have great problem with the helicopters those are eliminating our wild animals. These helicopters flied from the war ships in the Somali coast specially Gara’ad village in Mudug region,” one of the elders said. The pastoralists have also great problems with the planes, he added.

Lastly the traditional elders of Gara’ad village called for the officials Puntland administration in Galka’o town in Mudug region to solve the problems of the people about the helicopters.

might want to check the menus on some of those warships

Since the US was implicated previously, I suspect they are still at it. They may have learned to hide their insignia. There may well be others in the international navy doing the same thing.

I wonder what they are doing with the wildlife. If they are darting them rather than shooting them, I’m guessing possibly selling to zoos, and maybe more likely, selling to canned hunts for the rich people who imagine they are great hunters, like Cheney for one.

27 Aug 27, 2009 – 9:47:34 AM

Gara’ad, Somalia:- (Garowe Online) Residents and elders in the Somali Coastal village of Gara’ad have voiced concern over helicopters hunting various types of wildlife, including ostrich and gazelles, Radio Garowe has reported.

According to the elders who have made contact with the Puntland-based radio, helicopters have been used to dart the wildlife before taking them onboard.

“For the last five days, the hunters have been anesthetizing the animals before taking them onboard to ships based on the high seas” said Tahug Muse Ahmed, one of the elders who made contact with the Radio.

He added that local elders have agreed to conserve the wildlife nine years ago and imposed fines on anybody held on hunting after the wildlife in the area was close to extinction.

However, it is not clear which country owns the helicopters but international naval powers, including NATO have deployed warships to the waters off Somalia over past years to escort aid-carrying ships bound to Somalia and to protect the maritime trade routes from Somali pirates.