Commercial poaching escalates
16 July, 2008

JWANENG - Kgalagadi is experiencing an escalation of live animal poaching and smuggling, a form of commercialized poaching that has not been an issue in the past.

This was said by officials of the department of wildlife and national parks. The department said in a response to BOPA questions that commercial poaching was restricted to predators especially lions and leopards.

And cubs are most preferred even though adult leopards have been involved. Director in the department of wildlife and national parks, Mr Trevor Mmopelwa said in case of subsistence poaching, elands, gemsboks and springboks are the most targeted species in that order, and to lesser extent giraffes.

He described poaching in Kgalagadi as having been a long standing problem, especially subsistence poaching which he said has been worse in the past but has been stabilising over the years.

He said his department took poaching seriously and had come up with strategies to ameliorate the situation.

This include increased and sustained anti poaching patrols in the area, establishing CBNRM (Community Bases Natural Resources Management) projects which are up and running, increasing public awareness with regard to the importance of conserving wildlife resources through education, collaborating with other stakeholders such as the Botswana Police Service, BDF and community leaders amongst others Poaching activities he said were restricted to most of Kgalagadi North and some parts of Kgalagadi South, but not the Kgalagadi Trasnsfrontier Park (KTP) Citizens he said were the main perpetrators , collaborating with foreigners who do not enter the country but remain in their countries and receive the goods from there.

We are aware that markets for wildlife products exist both within and without Botswana and as usual the working class (mostly government officials) provides the bulk of the local market in the area, he said.

With regard to live animal smuggling, it has been alleged that South Africa provides a ready and willing market. We are currently collaborating with neighboring countries to identify such markets, he added.

The department has in the past captured some poachers in Kgalagadi through collaboration with the Botswana Defense Force (BDF) which has already set up camps in Ncojane and Tsabong. BOPA