01 Jul 2014

The main threat to lion conservation in the Chobe District is retaliatory killing in response to livestock predation, says the acting chief executive officer of Botswana Tourism Organisation, Mr Thabo Dithebe.

Officially launching the commemorative stamp of lions of the Chobe in Gaborone recently, Mr Dithebe said low-rated threats to lions included depletion of prey, habitat reduction, fragmentation and diseases.

Mr Dithebe said an emerging and growing threats to lions was the poaching of cubs for sale in breeding facilities and the use of lion parts as traditional medicine in some parts of the world. As a result of these threats, he said, lions were classified as vulnerable to extinction.

“For the long-term survival of lions of the Chobe, government implemented a number of human-lion conflict mitigation strategies in response to escalating lion losses,” he said. “A total ban on the hunting and killing of lions has also been imposed.”

BotswanaPost issued a June 2014 set of commemorative stamps that feature lions of the Chobe.  Commemorative stamps are usually printed in smaller quantities, circulate for a short time and issued four to five times per year illustrating themes that reveal the environment, cultural and historical heritage.

This set of stamps is set to be sold for one year.

Mr Dithebe said the reason for the choice of these commemorative stamps is because the lion population in Chobe faces noticeable threats compared to other areas.

The current estimate is approximately 32 000 worldwide, indicating a population decline of 50 to 60 per cent in the past three decades. 

Botswana carries the largest population of free ranging lions in southern Africa, estimated at 3 000 and constituting 30 per cent of southern Africa’s lions.

Botswana has 3 000 and constituting 30 per cent of the regional lion population”, he noted.

Mr Dithebe said a lion, Africa’s largest carnivore, is the animal most sought after by tourists on safari and arguably Africa’s major wildlife draw-card. 

Therefore, the Botswana Tourism Organisation’s mission is to develop Botswana into a unique preferred tourism destination by using other channels like the stamp to sell the country. He also urged people to conserve lions because they are literally their pride.

The commemorative issue of Lions of the Chobe was remarkably depicted on paper by one of the most accomplished artists in Botswana, Mr Wilson Ngoni, with Mr Lesiga Segola contributing to the graphic design work. ENDS