Poaching In Botswana On The Rise

Eventhough Botswana is pinning her hopes on tourism to diversify the economy, poaching, which is on the rise, remains a challenge and hinders the country’s efforts in diversifying the economy.

According to a report from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, in 2017/18, 62 elephants were killed compared to 42 in 2016/17. Similarly, there has been an increase in trafficking of elephant tusks as evident that 109 tusks have been trafficked in 2017/2018 (as of end of February) compared to 48 in 2016/2017.

The report also indicates that the Kgalagadi, Gantsi (Central Kalahari Game Reserve in particular), Ngamiland, Central and Chobe Districts are highly affected by poaching due to the fact that most species are concentrated in these areas, especially elephants and predators. Elephants are mostly poached in the Linyanti and Shaile areas along the Namibian Border.

Most poached animals are elephants for the ivory trading, antelopes for consumption.

There is also a new breed of poachers that has cropped up in Kgalagadi area where predators are taken alive for their products (teeth, nails and skin).

Botswana citizens are increasingly becoming more involved in poaching activities while foreign nationals are reported to be the main culprits.

Criminal charges are stipulated in the Wildlife Conservation and National Parks Act of 1992 CAP 38:01.

The gravity of the charges depends on the type of the species poached.

For instance, for killing an elephant one shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine of P50 000 and to imprisonment for 10 years while killing a rhinoceros one shall be guilty of an offence and liable to a fine of P100 000 and to imprisonment of 15 years. Moreover any person who fails to comply with the section on possession of ivory or elephant tusks shall be liable to a fine of P50 000 and to imprisonment of 10 years.

The department of Wildlife and National Parks is putting forward stern measures to help neutralize the increasing poaching in Botswana.

The report further stipulates that the use of the National Anti-Poaching Strategy derived from the SADC Regional Anti-Poaching Strategy is in place to combat poaching.

The department uses, among others, aircraft, vehicles, boats, radios, global positioning systems (GPS) to help in its daily duties to combat poaching. BOPA


Source: BWgovernment

Thanks for sharing!

This is just the start of the decline in Botswana wildlife. Since the banning of legal trophy hunting the only value that these animals have is to the poachers out there. I sincerely hope that Mr Masisi will see the light and accept the true facts of what is happening...and finaly lift the ban on trophy hunting in Botswana. I spoke to a few Batswana farmers a week ago. They all hope that the hunter and his dollars will return soon.

What did they expect. They took away value from locals

started as soon as the people that live in the hunting areas that are no good for photo tourism realised that the photo operators who had been saying they would take over the hunting areas if hunting was stopped, and that photo tourism was a 12 month a year business as opposed to the limited hunting season operations never appeared to put their money where their mouths were, as they knew there was no way these areas were any good at all for photo tourism and they would go kaput in short order......

I also guide for photographic safaris as well as fishing safaris, however nothing pays for conservation like hunting safaris.

The sooner they realise this the better for them especially in a country that is way over populated with elephant and is facing serious habitat destruction to the detriment of all other species.

IvW said:

I also guide for photographic safaris as well as fishing safaris, however nothing pays for conservation like hunting safaris.

The sooner they realise this the better for them especially in a country that is way over populated with elephant and is facing serious habitat destruction to the detriment of all other species.

Click to expand...

not saying there is anything wrong with photo safaris...all needs to work together, but the areas that were abandoned are not in anyway at all any good for photo safaris....so the talk and propoganda from some of the photo operators and other anti hunting organisations/ people saying to the people living in these hunting blocks that photo tourism was much better, as they would have jobs all year round but knowing full well nobody would try and run them as photo safari areas as it would be financial suicide was bullshit....

How long has it been since Kenya stopped Safari hunting? ... only to start researching the return of hunting AFTER most of the game is gone.

Slow learners.

BRICKBURN said:

How long has it been since Kenya stopped Safari hunting? ... only to start researching the return of hunting AFTER most of the game is gone.

Slow learners.

Click to expand...

and that aint going to happen.....

spike.t said:

not saying there is anything wrong with photo safaris...all needs to work together, but the areas that were abandoned are not in anyway at all any good for photo safaris....so the talk and propoganda from some of the photo operators and other anti hunting organisations/ people saying to the people living in these hunting blocks that photo tourism was much better, as they would have jobs all year round but knowing full well nobody would try and run them as photo safari areas as it would be financial suicide was bullshit....

Click to expand...

Agreed!

Sorry for my ignorance.
When the hunting was banned in Botswana? Which year?

Botswana AKA Kenya. Very soon.

mark-hunter said:

Sorry for my ignorance.
When the hunting was banned in Botswana? Which year?

Click to expand...

2014

Sorry to hear this.
A question for better informed members:

What is general public opinion in Botswana about hunting? And local political climate about hunting? Are locals generally opposed to hunting, and this may be considered as some temporary measure, or there is no hope at all in any foreseeable future?

Botswana's President Khama is against hunting and also tied in with the photo safari industry.

Pres. Masisi took over on the 1st of April. Hopefully he will bring about change wrt trophy hunting.

mark-hunter said:

Sorry for my ignorance.
When the hunting was banned in Botswana? Which year?

Click to expand...

We are talking about government areas....hunting is still allowed on private land.....this reminds me of all the bullshit going around that hunting in zambia was closed few years ago.....when certain government GMA's under tender weren't allocated due to ...well not going into that...but other GMA's whose leases ran to different time schedule and private areas were still open for hunting.....and that was an up hill battle trying to convince people that those GMA'S and private people like ourselves were still open....so DONT go saying hunting is banned in Botswana ...please... ...

http://worldanimalnews.com/botswana...ts-trump-encouraging-elephant-trophy-hunting/


Botswana’s President Ian Khama Blasts Trump For “Encouraging Elephant Trophy Hunting”

The decision by Trump to reverse a ban on the imports of animal “trophies” into the United States continues to cause a rippling effect across the globe.

Most recently, on Friday, Botswana’s President Ian Khama, who is stepping down from his office in two weeks, called out Trump while speaking at the anti-poaching Giant’s Club Summit in Kasane, a town in the northeastern corner of the South African country near the borders of Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Khama stated, as per africanews.com, that he wanted “to take this moment to condemn in the strongest possible terms” the March 1st decision made by the Trump administration to immediately begin considering issuing “trophy” importation permits on a “case by case” basis.

“I think that this administration is undermining our efforts and also encouraging poaching in the process because they are well aware of our laws that prohibit hunting in Botswana,” said Khama.

The controversial decision by the U.S. Department of the Interior allows when approved, for tusks and skins of elephants killed in Botswana, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Zambia, and Zimbabwe to be legally imported into the United States.

Botswana is reportedly one of 32 African countries at the conference calling on the European Union to end its ivory trade.

According to the Daily Nation, Kenya, Uganda, and Gabon were also among the countries urging European countries to follow the likes of China and Hong Kong and ban the trade.