ADDIS ABABA – The Ethiopian Wildlife Conservation Authority said that it has been working on minimizing coronavirus impacts on wildlife conservation activities organizing a taskforce at federal and regional level to put under control the epidemic in all parks.
Authority Public Relations Expert and member taskforces Solomon Worku told The Ethiopian Herald that the taskforces identify and examine the preparation of visitors and staff workers to prevent the disease while moving to the parks.
The authority identified most vulnerable parks located alongside with high ways and that have strong bond with the surrounding community.
Among the specified parks are Bale and Semein Mountains National parks, Awash, Halaydege and Asebot, he said, adding that the last three parks are located along the line to Djibouti where there is high movement of people these days.
There are some parks identified as vulnerable for having strong bond with community like Abijata, Senkele and Babile sanctuaries and Nechsar national parks, he expressed.
According to him, the authority is working at federal and regional level in raising awareness, distributing protection materials.
The authority has distributed a 100,000 Birr worth protection materials to its workers and to the public who live around the exposable parks, as to him.
Accordingly, the authority distributed protection materials to 194 head quarter workers, 1033 park staffs and 3000 community members who live around the national parks under its administrations, he mentioned.
The authority is also working to distribute protection materials to all parks within a week by spending 2.3 million Birr. It also plans installing temperature testing tools in
all 13 national parks, he indicated.
Among the regional parks that intended to address alcohol, sanitizer and in the second round are Chebera Churchura, Borena Saint, Arsi Mountains and Mao Komo parks, according to Solomon.
The authority undertakes especial follow up and discusses with the parks identified as exposable spots through phone and social media conversation, he noted.
He said, “ewca covid 19 protection task force is our telegram channel that we communicate each day with all wardens from the national parks about latest information of the disease and the way it should be handled in the parks.”
On the other hand, the authority is alarming the nearby community and by passers of parks by installing billboards where prevention schemes of wildlife from coronavirus are posted, he stated.
This also include awaking visitors and by passers to get sustained from throwing foods to animals and carelessly wasting plastics as these disposals are able to transmit the disease to wild animals, he said.
The authority also broadcasts the pandemic impact on parks and the prevention tools to the general public using various media, as to Solomon.
“There is incorrect culture where wild animals are accepted as tame in urban areas especially in some hotels despite its rareness. This should be corrected as it induces transmission of the virus.”
The good thing is the epidemic gave good lesson about the need to upgrade waste disposal management systems and keep proper distance with wild animals, he pointed out.
The country is preparing a recovery plan to revive its tourism sector which is currently facing hurdle like lack of visitors due to the pandemic, it was learnt.
The Ethiopian Herald May 5/2020
BY YOHANES JEMANEH
