14 Jun 2022

Mokopi Conservation Trust has received a P1.6m shot in the arm to complete the predator park project.

Boteti Senior District Officer Development Ms Patience Fanikiso recently told Boteti Sub-district Council that the Rural Development Council, disbursed the money to the sub-district to facilitate the project.

Ms Fanikiso said the project, which comprises lion cages, snake cages, conference facility, accommodation huts and crocodile pool, was 75 per cent complete.

She revealed that the lion enclosures were completed and were bringing in income through gate entrance fees, for lion viewing. The trust has four temporary employees.

The Conservation Trust Fund (CTF), funded the project to the tune of P1 million in November 2020, while Lucara Botswana injected P350 000 into the project and paid salaries for employees engaged at the site.

Ms Fanikiso stated that Debswana also funded the project to the tune of P1.3 million in 2020, and had also donated safety equipment, fencing poles, crusher dust and thatching grass, while Green Choice Company donated materials worth P60 000.

She noted that completion of the project covered electrical installation and borehole equipping among others.

Ms Fanikiso indicated that there was no water at the project site and the trust entirely relied on government departments to bowse water, a challenge which would be resolved once the borehole was drilled and equipped.

Meanwhile, she said Xere Conservation Trust was funded to the tune of P451 000 in 2017 by Global Environmental Facility for construction of cultural village and for research on the use of indigenous knowledge to manage human/wildlife conflict. 

Ms Fanikiso said the trust had conducted a video documentary of their culture through the department museum and monuments, although it was incomplete.

She said commencement of the second phase of the documentary was yet to be scheduled. 

The technical advisory committee was in discussions for possible collaboration with the Centre for Scientific Research, Indigenous Knowledge and Innovation of the University of Botswana, which was conducting a similar project at Xere. ENDS