NNWN / Dodoma, Tanzania, 2017-08-17

Leading Elephant Conservationist Wayne Lotter was shot dead in Tanzania on Wednesday evening by an unidentified gunman. Lotter was 51. His death has shocked the international wildlife conservationists community.
Lotter,  Director of PAMS Foundation,  was  shot on Wednesday  evening in the Masaki district of the city of Dar es Salaam. The wildlife conservationist Lotter was being driven from the airport to his hotel when his taxi was stopped by another vehicle. Two men, one armed with a gun opened his car door and shot him. Police are investigating the case but no arrest has been made so far.
According to police sources, Lotter had received numerous death threats in the past. Ever since he started his NGO, PAMS Foundation, he had been receiving death threats related to his work. NGO, PAMS Foundation provides conservation and anti-poaching support to communities and governments in Africa.
Lotter was the vice president of International Rangers Federation.  Lotter has served on the boards of several conservation groups. His sudden death has left the conservationists community in a state of shock. “Wayne was one of Africa’s leading and most committed conservationists. He had over two decades worth of experience in wildlife management and conservation, and can be credited as the driving force behind ending the unscrupulous slaughter of Tanzania’s elephants,” said Azzedine Downes, CEO of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).
“Wayne devoted his life to Africa’s wildlife. From working as a ranger in his native South Africa as a young man to leading the charge against poaching in Tanzania, Wayne cared deeply about the people and animals that populate this world,” read a statement released by the PAMS Foundation team. “Wayne’s charm, brilliance and eccentric sense of humour gave him the unique ability to make those around him constantly laugh and smile. He died bravely fighting for the cause he was most passionate about. “Wayne leaves behind his wife Inge, daughters Cara Jayne and Tamsin, and parents Vera and Charles Lotter. We all grieve with his family, colleagues and friends. His legacy will continue in our work.”

Background of PAMS Foundation:
The PAMS Foundation funded and supported Tanzania’s elite anti-poaching National and Transnational Serious Crimes Investigation Unit (NTSCIU) which was responsible for arrests of major ivory traffickers including Yang Feng Glan, the so-called “Queen of Ivory” and several other notorious elephant poachers. Since 2012, the unit has arrested more than 2,000 poachers and ivory traffickers and has a conviction rate of 80%. The NTSCIU was recently featured in the Netflix documentary The Ivory Game. In a previous interview, Lotter said he believed its work had helped to reduce poaching rates in Tanzania by at least 50%.
The latest elephant census data suggests that elephant populations fell by 30 per cent in Africa between 2007 and 2014. Tanzania experienced one of the biggest declines in elephant numbers, where the census documented a 60% decrease in the population.