21 May 2025

Members of the public have been warned to refrain from buying poached game meat as it can pose a risk to their health and well-being.

The warning was made by Wildlife and National Parks acting regional coordinator, Mr Thebe Horatius in an interview that some animals carried diseases and as such appealed to the public to buy game meat from authorised dealers such as butcheries.

He said buying meat from poached animals also fuelled the escalating cases of poaching in his area of jurisdiction. 

Mr Horatius said buying such meat also frustrated their efforts of fighting poaching.

“While we make strides in the battle against poaching, it seems there are syndicates in some areas around Maun who frustrate our efforts by selling game meat. The carcases we recovered are an indication that the culprits sell the meat in the black market and this was a call for proactive efforts of all law enforcement agencies to come together to combat such illegal activities,” he added.

He further said it was frustrating that poaching took place in concessions where community trusts were operating tourism activities which could severely impact the industry. 

He appealed to the community to join forces with law enforcement agencies and help combat poaching as it could reduce the appeal of a tourism destination to tourists and ultimately lead to job losses for those working in the tourism sector.

Recently, 12 carcases of Impalas were found in NG30 suspected to be poached.

Officers from the Anti-Poaching unit recovered the carcasses during their regular patrols along the buffalo fence.

Meanwhile, narrating how they recovered the carcasses, senior wildlife warden, Mr Henry Tlhage explained that while on their patrol mission on Saturday, they spotted some men hunting in NG30 but their efforts to intercept them failed as they abandoned the meat and ran away. 

He said they continued with their patrols on Sunday and discovered the carcasses at Nxaraga Lagoon. “We recovered the meat and reported the matter to the police to assist on investigations so that the perpetrators can be brought to book,” he said. ENDS