The Essence of Wildlife Crimes and Associated Effects on Wild Animals’ Protection in Tanzania – Legal Perspective

Abstract

Conservation challenges have surfaced in Tanzania for decades. Several researches have revealed the causes, each research taking own perspective. This article discusses conservation challenges in legal perspective. The article reveals the manner crimes against wildlife initiate human induced wildlife conflicts, but humans have legal ambits to justify their actions. The article uncovers several acts the law permits whilst the same are triggering misery over wildlife.  The article discovers environmental crimes posed by humans’ development demands. Yet, humans refuse to acknowledge the situation and camouflage in attributing their ill actions to wildlife by twisting the situation as “human-wildlife conflicts”. The article recommends that, it is technically improper to capacitating wildlife to commit crimes.  Particularly, wildlife are the victims of unjust and pre-meditated human actions. In this review, content and thematic analysis used to interpret an in-depth aspects of wildlife law(s). It is concluded that, whilst the law recognizes wildlife in two facets; wild animals and their habitats, and requires the protection of both, there are human-wildlife common interests which the law has not been able to safeguard inter se and thus trigger crimes against wildlife. There is need for suitable laws in the wildlife sector to safeguard wildlife.