Two Land Cruisers donated by the American Defence Force help combat wildlife crime
Poachers beware, local wildlife law enforcement has just taken a big leap with the acquisition of two Land Cruiser bakkies, courtesy of the American army, to bolster existing anti-poaching measures.
The two bakkies were presented to conservation officials in the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism by Lieutenant Colonel John Lacy, the United States Defence Attaché in Namibia. The vehicles were donated by the US Department of Defence as part of the US Foreign Military financing programme for biodiversity. This is the same US government branch that supported the work of the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Ethiopia by providing funding to improve local conservation.
One bakkie will be used at the Waterberg Law Enforcement training centre for training while the other will be deployed in active service to combat wildlife crime. This car will attached to the K-9 squad.
The US Embassy in Windhoek said the two Cruisers bring the US Department of Defence’s Foreign Military Financing Program to its halfway mark. The full programme value comes to US$530,000. It started in February last year when the US Department of Defence gave the environment ministry 65 pairs of night-sight binoculars for use in law enforcement. Additional items include camping gear, anti-poaching crime scene equipment, and classroom furniture.
Caption: Receiving the two Land Cruiser bakkies from Lieutenant Colonel John Lacy (centre right) of the United Stated Department of Defence, are Manie le Roux (left), the Control Warden in the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Tourism, Mr Colgar Sikopo, the Director of Wildlife and National Parks, and the ministry’s Deputy Director for the central regions, Mr Johnson Ndokosho (right). (Photograph by the US Embassy)
