Suspected poacher shot dead
09 October, 2007

KASANE - Botswana Defence Force(BDF)members have killed a suspected poacher in the Chobe National Park after an exchange of gun fire.

Chobe district officer commanding, senior superintendent Victor Mutsu said in an interview that members of the army who were on patrol found a dead eland covered with tree leaves at around 11 am.

They realised that the eland has just being killed and they searched the surrounding area. The police officer said during the search they came across two armed men.

He said BDF officers fired warning shots but the suspected poachers shot at them It was then that the army shot back at the poachers and in so doing they killed one of them while the other one run away.

Until now we have not arrested him, he said. Senior superintendent Mutsu said working , with the Namibian police they managed to identify the deceased and that his remains have been taken to Namibia for burial.

However, he indicated that poaching cases are rare inn the area. There is not much poaching here, the cases are very rare, he said. BOPA

quote:

However, he indicated that poaching cases are rare inn the area.

I wonder why?

I've seen their army patrol units...I wouldn't poach either.

Funny poacher story:

Last year in Tanzania one of the other hunters in our camp and his PH came across a fish poacher. The PH told the hunter to fire a shot in the direction of the poacher. By this point the poacher was running. The hunter did as he was instructed and when he shot, the poacher went down in a heap. The stunned PH started yelling, "Don't kill him, don't kill him, I just wanted to scare him." Seems that when the hunter shot, the poacher tripped and fell, when the PH saw the poacher go down, he thought for sure that the hunter had taken him out, hence his impassioned pleas for the hunter not to kill the man. I am sure the PH was thinking, now how in the hell am I going to explain this fine mess . . .

Ooo, that would be a bad day in Africa. I'm certain that there would not be an export permit available...probably not for the hunter to go home either.

Wonder if you have to pay a fee if you use the poacher carcass as hyena bait?

quote:

Originally posted by Jim Manion:
Wonder if you have to pay a fee if you use the poacher carcass as hyena bait?

Should not have to, I have never seen poachers on the trophy fee schedule.

Keith

What kind of responsible PH would ask a client to shoot in the direction of a poacher. Why would a hunter do something like that just because the PH said to?

An eland???
Would these guys have killed it for food? Is there any black market value of an eland?

I'd have a hard time shooting a starving man that poached to feed his familiy.

You African hunters enlighten me as to the facts of this story.

Perry

quote:

Originally posted by 875x:
What kind of responsible PH would ask a client to shoot in the direction of a poacher. Why would a hunter do something like that just because the PH said to?

Good point, should have yelled "stop", "halt" or "citizen's arrest" or something like that, perhaps followed with "please", and then once he stopped and put his hands up, they could have drove up to him and taken him into custody.

The hunter should have said police your own country I am a vistor. I wonder what would have happened if the poacher had told the local police hey that American shot at me?

Vaughan Fulton's camp in the Caprivi is just across the Chobe from Botswana.

We used to watch every variety of game, from zebra, to impala, to crocs, to hippo, to warthogs, to buffalo, sable, roan, elephant, etc. calmly come down to the Chobe to drink or wade in from the other side. Martin, one of Vaughan's game scouts, would give a running commentary on trophy quality. He had always seen bigger and better specimens on previous occasions, or so he said.

We would also see the BDF patrolling in the air and in trucks from time to time. They appeared to be very serious fellows.

After having seen herds of buff come down to the river after dark several days in a row, and after having seen, in broad daylight on the same days, a huge croc, a couple of big hippo, nice sable and roan, and many other animals on the Botswana side, one day we saw a big tusked old boar warthog come down, kneel at the water's edge, and begin to drink.

I grabbed my bino and dialed til the focus was sharp. This was too much. This warthog was huge! One of the biggest, if not the biggest, I had ever seen.

I said to Vaughan (with an evil gleam in my eyes, and only kidding of course):

"Vaughan, what's the penalty for poaching in Botswana?"

Vaughan replied (deadpan):

"Well, Mike, the BDF shoot poachers on sight."

Me (genuinely surprised):

"No kidding?"

Vaughan (deadpan again):

"No kidding, Mike."

Vaughan again (but now the evil gleam was in his eyes, and he too was only kidding, of course):

"But Martin tells me the BDF take Saturdays off. Wanna try on Saturday?"

I WOULD'T HAVE OBEYED THE PH'S INSTUCTIONS TO
FIRE IN THE DIRECTION OF THE FISH POACHER!!!

My GOD! A "fateful" riccochet or something of

the sort and you've killed a man under criminally

WRECKLESS circumstances under a "God foresaken"

justice system...