19 Jun 2019

Botswana does not condone elephant culling, says permanent secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism, Mr Thato Raphaka.

He was speaking at an engagement with Hospitality and Tourism Association of Botswana (HATAB) members in Maun on June 18.

He said elephant culling and meat processing were among recommendations in the report to the cabinet sub-committee on hunting ban/suspension consultations.

He said all the recommendations were adopted except for culling, saying it was not socially acceptable and that the lifting of the hunting suspension was the main recommendation while other recommendations required planning before execution.

He noted that the hunting suspension was introduced in 2014 following a study which showed a decrease in some animal species.

He said the suspension, which was perceived as a ban by some people, was renewed annually since 2014 and elapsed in October 2018.

The suspension, Mr Raphaka said, was meant to give room for strategic interventions.

He noted that other interventions adopted included containing elephants in their initial rangeland, saying elephants had since moved to sensitive ecosystems such as the Kgalagadi Game Reserve.

He said strategic elephant deterrents would be erected, citizens empowered in the tourism industry and Community Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) models stimulated.

Mr Raphaka said investors in concession areas would also be expected to make locals shareholders after a certain period of operation. He stressed that the country still valued foreign direct investment and had no plans to push investors away in the interest of citizen empowerment.

He noted that 49 people had been killed by elephants to date, adding that government spent over P20 million compensating victims of elephant destruction annually. He added that the funds could be channeled towards other developments.

Hunting, which effected from June 1 this year, he said, would be a conservation and scientific management of elephants.

HATAB chairperson, Mr Joseph Motse said tourism players and operators were a critical stakeholder, and that it was important to engage them in order to appreciate the government’s decision and offer advice. ENDs