VETERINARY
DEPARTMENT
TANZANIA NATIONAL PARKS
Responsibility
for the healthcare of Tanzania’s abundant wildlife in 14 national
parks comes under the Tanapa Veterinary Laboratory based in the
Serengeti Park Headquarters. Though Tanzania’s commitment
to preservation is admirable, the country is faced with many challenges
as its population continues to rise. Agriculture increasing along
park perimeters poses a threat of transmittable diseases from domestic
livestock to free ranging wildlife. Monitoring disease trends will
be increasingly important to insure the wellbeing of indigenous
wildlife species. The veterinary department records deaths, screens
kills, conducts post mortem necropsies on corpses, develops a data
base, assists on all research immobilizations and inoculates livestock
and pets surrounding park perimeters to control disease transmission.
I met the chief veterinary officer, Dr. Titus Mlengeya, while on
safari in the Serengeti Park in 1999 and was amazed by his overwhelming
task and determination to succeed. He was also a fellow student
in my 2002 Envirovet Course. Titus and his staff of veterinarians
and technicians need basic veterinary supplies, lab equipment, books,
computers, and tools to accomplish their tasks. Each year the Embery
Institute for Wildlife Conservation collects supplies and ships
them via a container made available by a missionary group based
in the United States. They deliver the supplies to the Tanzania
National Park’s home office in Arusha for pick up. In their
world a little goes a long way to achieving their goals.
E-mail: Info@JoanEmbery.com
© 2004
Embery Pillsbury Enterprises.
All Rights Reserved. |