Marloth wild life removal permits still awaited

MARLOTH PARK – Corridor Gazette has learned that the bomas for the capture of game were not being erected as planned. Wildlife Vets confirmed late last week that the permits for the sale of the animals should be in place before it could be done. According to the spokesman for the Marloth Park Property Owners Association (MPPOA), Ms Pat Wilmans, the conservation manager at Nkomazi Local Municipality (NKLM), Mr Velly Makwakwa, told the MPPOA that the bomas were going to be erected on Monday May 18, implying that the permits were in order. However, the company appointed to perform the game capture, said no permits had been issued yet. Wildlife Vets said they could not capture game and then had to hold it somewhere else. The Mpumalanga Tourism and Park Agency (MTPA) is ultimately responsible for the issuing of permits for the trans- locations of game. The senior manager Wildlife Protection Services at MTPA, Jan Muller, says the hold-up is not on their side, “The problems are  on the side of the Mozambican import permits. That is what Wildlife Vets are waiting for. As soon as those are issued, we will issue all the other permits, including the permits to export the game to Mozambique.” The administrative and operations manager of Wildlife Vets, Mr Géran Raath, told the newspaper that the postponement was a problem for the veterinary practitioners. “Marloth Park is our priority now and all our other contracts are being postponed until the park’s game capture has taken place. We delivered more feed for the game this past weekend.” On the question of the condition of grazing for the game that would be left behind, Makwakwa and Marloth Wildlife Fund confirmed that the feeding of game would continue to give the grazing and veld time to recover.” Wildlife Vets don’t have a date on which the issue of the permits will be completed and thus cannot advise Corridor Gazette when the bomas will be erected.