07 Oct 2013

Police Commissioner, Mr Keabetswe Makgophe has appealed to the Ngamiland community to protect the natural resources in their district.

Speaking during the handing over of a house to 86-year old Ms Atakamang Keabetswe in Komana on October 4, Mr Makgophe said Ngamiland District was a tourist destination which contributed meaningfully to the country’s economy hence the need to come together and protect the natural resources in the area.

He raised a concern over the escalating cases of crime in the district particularly poaching of elephants. He said theft of wildlife was rapidly growing noting that the culprits targeted elephants’ tusks and sell them outside the country.

The commissioner said poaching was a serious threat to Botswana’s wildlife and appealed to the public to embark on concerted efforts to combat the tide. He said it was disturbing because both citizens and foreigners had been implicated in poaching.

“Most of the animals are killed by locals with licensed guns and yet they applied for the guns to protect themselves”, he added. Mr Makgophe further said the community should understand that tourism has plays a significant role in the country’s economy.

Therefore, Mr Makgophe urged Batswana to combat poaching and save the country’s wildlife resources saying failure to preserve wildlife will lead to decline of the tourism sector which will ultimately affect the country’s economy.

The commissioner said recently the police arrested suspects with 18 elephant tusks at Nata village. “This means that nine elephants had been killed”, he said.

In an interview, Detective Assistant Superintendent Idani Gaseitsiwe from department of Nicotine Fauna and Flora Investigation confirmed that the cases of elephant poaching were on the rise. He said since January this year they had recorded 14 cases.

He said poaching was a serious concern and appealed to the nation to contribute towards anti-poaching as a conservation of wild life resources best practice. Detective Gaseitsiwe said it was worrying to see people selling the elephant tusks cheaply yet they had high market value.

He said people should know that at one point, the elephant population would decline and the tourism sector would be affected. In addition, Detective Gaseitsiwe noted that tourism in Botswana has a potential for economic growth and urged Batswana to protect the little they have. ENDS