Page 14 - Metro Record May 2021

Zimbabwe sells rights to Atlanta GA Mayor Bottoms

Announces City’s First
hunt endangered elephants Comprehensive Effort to

Zimbabwe is selling rights to means more for revenue." and healthy animals, leaving Activate Public Land for
shoot up to 500 elephants this smaller, less aesthetically
year to generate public But conservation groups have pleasing specimens that were Affordable Housing
revenue, the country's wildlife voiced concern over hunting less attractive to tourists.
agency said Monday, weeks animals increasingly ATLANTA—Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced the City’s
after the animals were listed threatened with extinction. Despite dwindling population first-ever comprehensive effort to activate public land for
as endangered. numbers, Zimbabwe is faced affordable housing. This initiative was a top priority for the
The Swiss-based International with a surplus of elephants -- Mayor’s One Atlanta Housing Affordability Action Plan,
Parks and Wildlife Union for Conservation of estimated at around 84,000 released in July of 2019.
Management Authority Nature last month listed the for a carrying capacity of
spokesman Tinashe Farawo African savanna elephant as 50,000. “Leveraging public property is a substantial, largely untapped
said elephant hunting was "endangered" and the African tool, that we can utilize as we work to increase affordable and
allowed during the country's forest elephant as "critically Recurrent droughts have workforce housing in Atlanta,” said Mayor Bottoms. “The
April to October rainy season. endangered", citing added to the strain of activation of public land complements efforts already
population declines due to overburdened national parks, underway and will help maintain Atlanta’s economic diversity
He said revenues from the poaching and loss of habitat. forcing the pachyderms to and ensure long-term affordability for our residents.”
controversial activity would be seek food and water further
particularly important this afield. As of April 2021, the administration has completed an
year due to the economic Both species had previously inventory of public property and presented the first four
setbacks of coronavirus. been treated as a single Some encroach upon properties slated for activation for affordable housing
category and listed as populated areas in the development to City Council’s Community Development and
"We got the authority to hunt "vulnerable". process, destroying crops and Human Services Committee on Tuesday, April 27th.
a maximum of 500 elephants occasionally killing people
and that's how we make "Poaching has continued who cross their path. Three of the properties are single lots that will be developed as
money," Farawo explained, unabated despite trophy single-family plus accessory dwelling unit housing. The other
noting that a single elephant hunting under the guise of Farawo defended the decision property is a 0.9-acre site across from City Hall that will be
hunt could cost up to $10,000. funding conservation," said to continue issuing hunting developed as dense, mixed-use infill housing in conjunction
Simiso Mlevu, spokeswoman permits, noting that the with Invest Atlanta.
Hunters "require more for the Zimbabwe-based practice has been going on
assisting personnel like Centre for Natural Resource since 1991 and there was "no In addition, Mayor Bottoms signed an Administrative Order
trackers, protective hunters Governance. need to make noise about it". creating an interagency advisory council to identify more
and chefs," he added. Mlevu also argued that public land for development as affordable housing. The
"All this will be paid for and hunters usually targeted large advisory council will include City staff, representatives from
Invest Atlanta, Atlanta Housing, the Metro Atlanta Land Bank,
community members, and other affordable housing partners.
This group will seek to achieve long-term affordability through
innovative design and financing practices in new housing
developed on public property.

Find more information on the Mayor’s One Atlanta Housing
Affordability Action Plan.

Boko Haram fighters hoist flag,

forcefully grab wives in Nigerian town

The Islamist group Boko and forcefully attached to "The Boko Haram elements
Haram has reportedly hoisted Boko Haram members," the are trying to use this area as
a flag in Nigeria’s Niger State governor said. their home, just as they did in
and gone further to seize the Sambisa. Sambisa is hundreds
wives of fleeing residents, "I am confirming that we have of kilometers away from
according to the region’s Boko Haram elements in Niger Abuja. But Kaure is less than
governor. State, around Kaure. They two hours drive to Abuja. So
have taken over the territory... nobody is safe anymore... Not
The Niger State Governor They have installed their flag," even Abuja is safe," Governor
Abubakar Bello said close to the governor added. Bello warned.
3,000 people flee the region
following increased terror and The governor further warned More than 36,000 have been
armed gang activities. that the increased terror killed and two million
elements in the region poised displaced by the decade-long
"Their towns have been taken a greater threat to Nigeria's fighting in Nigeria that has
over by bandits and Boko capital city Abuja, which Niger spread into neighboring Chad,
Haram elements... Their wives borders to the east. Cameroon and Niger.
have been seized from them