Botswana bounces back on international hunting map after long absence

Africa's hunting culture, including that of Botswana, will never die, no matter how much Western animal rights groups try to influence African leaders to ban it.

For a country that missed hunting like the deserts miss the rain over a six-year period, Botswana bounces back on the international hunting map in April 2021; to quench the international hunters' thirst in a country with the biggest, stable and increasing elephant population on earth.

The hunting season opens on Tuesday 6 April and closes on Tuesday 21 September 2021.

"Botswana has enjoyed the interest and support of an international client base for many years. As a destination, Botswana still offers a wide variety of hunting habitats including the great Kalahari sand veld areas; professional operations along with a high calibre of professional hunters, ensures that trophy quality has been consistently high, especially for elephant," said the Botswana Wildlife Producers Association (BWPA) spokesperson, Ms Debbie Peake, in an interview this month.

"I support President Masisi on the notion that hunting must come back as we have heard him say that on the local television station and in different media," said a resident of Parakarungu Village of Chobe District, Mr David Mbanga in an interview at the May 2019 Kasane Elephant Management Summit.

Mr Mbanga said former President Ian Khama's imposed ban on hunting came as a disappointment because he never consulted the people.
"Even his late father Seretse Khama would have been very disappointed to see that his son is taking away wildlife benefits from the people," said Mr Mbanga. "President Seretse Khama used to give us buffaloes for meat annually. Now, sadly, his son has failed to follow in his father's footsteps."

Mr Mbanga, a farmer, said former President Khama also devalued the elephants, together with other types of wildlife, when he banned hunting. Without hunting benefits, Chobe District villagers, like all else in Botswana did not see the need to conserve elephants because they brought costs without benefits.

As soon as he stepped into the office, President Masisi honoured his promise by lifting the Khama imposed hunting moratorium [suspension] in May 2021. This historic moment of upholding rural communities' democratic and constitutionally protected sovereign rights to hunting, sent Botswana rural communities co-existing with wildlife into wild celebrations. It confirmed the reality that African communities' desire to be granted their democratic and sovereign rights to continue benefiting from their wildlife.

In a show that they are worlds apart from African rural communities, the Western animal rights groups opposed the lifting of the hunting moratorium. They came up with empty and recycled threats to boycott Botswana as a tourist destination. No one was bothered by these repeated threats that have never come true ever since they were started, over 45 years ago.

Sadly, just when Botswana had marketed its hunting trophies and was about to resume hunting in 2020 – the COVID-19 pandemic reared its deadly 'head' and took over from where former President Khama had left, by most unexpectedly restricting hunting for another year. This meant that there was another year to add to the six-year hunting absence in Botswana.

Recounting the costs of the ban to the hunting industry, Ms Peake said that the Ian Khama hunting ban forced more than 90% of Botswana-based hunting operators to quit operations in Botswana.

"Without a hunting quota in community areas and in commercial concessions, many operators were forced to relocate to other African hunting countries such as Tanzania and Zambia," said Ms Peake. "A smaller number retained low scale business interests in Botswana but game ranches continued to operate offering quality plains game hunting. The loss of elephant quota, along with other quota was significant, so the industry is dedicated to building up operations and re-establishing themselves in the market place for the future."

The hunting moratorium inevitably harmed wildlife and habitat conservation, increased human-wildlife conflict that negatively impacted communities that then reacted by embarking on lion revenge killings through poisoning, at an unprecedented scale.

The yester-year benefits from hunting that had helped people see the need to conserve lions and elephants, along with other related wild species, including buffalo and leopard had suddenly disappeared.

"The costs of sharing the land with wildlife include the killing of our loved ones," said Mr Mbanga. "We have just buried one of them today here in Kasane Town. Elephants have also destroyed our property. In fact, we can no longer grow crops because elephants are always destroying them. Therefore, I support President Masisi's intention to lift the ban on elephant hunting because hunting can help us thin-out the large elephant herds and also minimise human-wildlife conflict as people begin to receive benefits from elephants."

"Controlled hunting was suspended in 2014, and having lost another year to COVID19 constraints, the industry is now ready to put Botswana back on the map," said the Botswana Wildlife Producers Association last week. "Operators are committed to ensuring that rural communities participate fully in the hunting season and in the tourism sector, through employment opportunities and community management functions, so this is an exciting year for Botswana."

Ms Peake said that the Community Based Natural Resources Management (CBNRM) Programme lost a great deal of impetus during the suspension of hunting.

"We believe CBNRM is critical to our industry and the BWPA is committed to assisting and ensuring that Community-Based Organisations (CBOs) become stakeholders in the industry, rather than just shareholders," she said. "CBOs are ready to embark in a much more participatory role with hunting operators. The BWPA, with local expert technical assistance, is also working closely with the Department of Wildlife and National Parks on a revised Predator Strategy, along with the Elephant Management Plan, both of which are vital to maintaining conservation management and sustainable utilisation of the resource."

Before the Khama hunting moratorium, revenue from wildlife was used to employ community game rangers who also prevent timber poaching and needless tree-cutting. Therefore, these conservation activities demonstrate how hunting revenue can benefit wildlife and habitat conservation, including socio-economic development.

ne of Chobe District's most tangible investments made using wildlife hunting revenue was the construction of the upmarket Chobe Enclave Conservation Trust community lodge - Ngoma Safari Lodge that is run jointly with private sector partners. The four-star Lodge benefits local communities through employment and training local residents in different professional disciplines. Additionally, the Chobe community benefits from the Lodge lease fees. The Lodge employs 27 people from the community who can now provide for their family needs, unlike before when they were unemployed.

For many years before the former President of Botswana Ian Khama's sudden suspension of wildlife hunting, including elephant hunting in 2014, most of the money that the Chobe District rural communities earned; came from elephant hunting. The hunting revenue was used to finance the Chobe Enclave Conservation Trust (CECT) office and community projects such as the milling project, poverty alleviation projects that include skills development to prepare villagers for employment and purchase of a tractor.

They also built a Parakarungu Village Shop that they currently lease out to a private company. Among other important projects, they run a general dealer shop in Mabele Village and a grinding mill in Parakarungu Village. The CECT has a bank account and its finances are audited by a professional auditing company. The CECT office is run by 31 employees with an approved 2019 annual salary budget of P1.6 million (about US$145 454.00).

It is these pre-Khama hunting suspension benefits that local communities expect to enjoy again, when hunting kicks off in April 2021.

"We're planning to ensure that when hunting begins, we should come up with a negotiated increase of Chobe District communities' share from hunting revenue because everything has gone up since the ban on hunting in 2014," said a farmer from Kachikau Village, Mr Richard Tshekonyane.

"Our development wish-list should include the need to build a butchery and bakery in each village as well as engage in any other projects that benefit our people."

Emmanuel Koro is a Johannesburg-based international award-winning independent environmental journalist who writes extensively on environment and development issues in Africa.

With a 7 year layoff it should be fantastic.

We will be going there to hunt buffalo in a few months, and we are looking forward to it with great anticipation.

But it sure would help matters if Americans could import sport hunted elephant ivory into the USA.

Does anyone know where that stands?

Mike... I am heading there in late June to hunt with Clive Eaton's outfit. Would love to hear how your itinerary worked out and the airline(s) you are using to get to Maun.

Mike,

There's no movement on issuing import permits for ivory. Sad but true!

Russ, it looks like I'll be following along behind you yet again! We'll be there about a month after you.

We found out that one cannot travel to and from Botswana from the USA except via Jo'burg.

With TWG's help, we ended up booking round trip business class tickets on Qatar to and from Jo'burg via Doha. The cost was surprisingly reasonable.

For the Botswana legs, TWG got us round trip economy class tickets to and from Kasane on SA Airlink, which apparently doesn't offer business class seats, at least on those legs.

Even though we are not leaving the airport in Jo'burg, we will be changing airlines. So, TWG advised me to get a SAPS 520 permit for my rifles, just in case. A bit of a pain, but TWG is handling that, too.

We'll be flying in and out of Kasane because I'll be hunting up north, in the Chobe district, with Chapungu-Kambako Safaris.

We have expanded on the time and scope of the Phil Smythe buffalo raffle that I still can't believe I won here on AR.

Thanks, Mark. That's what I thought. But if not Botswana, then where, right?

Mark,

Where are they on lion? I heard it was a case by case determination last I heard, but that was before the election. Vested interest as I'm hunting lion in August.

quote:

Originally posted by lavaca:
Mark,

Where are they on lion? I heard it was a case by case determination last I heard, but that was before the election. Vested interest as I'm hunting lion in August.

Look forward to hearing about that!

Lavaca,

Lion permits have been getting processed but at a snails pace.

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Robinson:
Russ, it looks like I'll be following along behind you yet again! We'll be there about a month after you.

We found out that one cannot travel to and from Botswana from the USA except via Jo'burg.

With TWG's help, we ended up booking round trip business class tickets on Qatar to and from Jo'burg via Doha. The cost was surprisingly reasonable.

For the Botswana legs, TWG got us round trip economy class tickets to and from Kasane on SA Airlink, which apparently doesn't offer business class seats, at least on those legs.

Even though we are not leaving the airport in Jo'burg, we will be changing airlines. So, TWG advised me to get a SAPS 520 permit for my rifles, just in case. A bit of a pain, but TWG is handling that, too.

We'll be flying in and out of Kasane because I'll be hunting up north, in the Chobe district, with Chapungu-Kambako Safaris.

We have expanded on the time and scope of the Phil Smythe buffalo raffle that I still can't believe I won here on AR.

Do you know which area you're hunting in?

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Ahrenberg:

Do you know which area you're hunting in?

Yes - it's CH8.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Robinson:
Russ, it looks like I'll be following along behind you yet again! We'll be there about a month after you.

We found out that one cannot travel to and from Botswana from the USA except via Jo'burg.

With TWG's help, we ended up booking round trip business class tickets on Qatar to and from Jo'burg via Doha. The cost was surprisingly reasonable.

For the Botswana legs, TWG got us round trip economy class tickets to and from Kasane on SA Airlink, which apparently doesn't offer business class seats, at least on those legs.

Even though we are not leaving the airport in Jo'burg, we will be changing airlines. So, TWG advised me to get a SAPS 520 permit for my rifles, just in case. A bit of a pain, but TWG is handling that, too.

We'll be flying in and out of Kasane because I'll be hunting up north, in the Chobe district, with Chapungu-Kambako Safaris.

We have expanded on the time and scope of the Phil Smythe buffalo raffle that I still can't believe I won here on AR.

These are the same flights arrangements I have in September. I have done this routing 4-5 times without a hitch.

quote:

Originally posted by Michael Robinson:

quote:

Originally posted by Steve Ahrenberg:

Do you know which area you're hunting in?

Yes - it's CH8.

I hunted NG41 for Elephant in 2006. Saw an absolute ton of Buffalo. To bad Johan Calitz Safaris couldn't see their way clear to allow for a Buffalo on an Elephant hunt.

I just looked on a concession map. CH8 is up two and East two hunting areas over from where I hunted.

Best of luck, I enjoyed Botswana.

Hunted the Mababe Depression in 2000 with Calitz. Most boring landscape I've ever seen but the total experience was very good and I liked Botswana.

I was the next to the last hunter of the season and they had buffalo left on quota. I had finished on the ele early and thought I might negotiate adding a buffalo. They said I could have one for $8,000! Remember this was 21 years ago. Boy! They were proud of the animals there.

Mark

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
Hunted the Mababe Depression in 2000 with Calitz. Most boring landscape I've ever seen but the total experience was very good and I liked Botswana.

I was the next to the last hunter of the season and they had buffalo left on quota. I had finished on the ele early and thought I might negotiate adding a buffalo. They said I could have one for $8,000! Remember this was 21 years ago. Boy! They were proud of the animals there.

Mark

That's exactly where I was. I shot my Elephant on the Chobe cutline Rd. It wasn't 5 miles from the village of Mbabe.

I made a brain shot and killed it in its tracks. The park wasn't 250 yards from us.

And that landscape looked like the moon. It was stark. But lots of dang Elephants. saw probably 20-40 daily. Mostly all bulls.

As I have used up all of my earthly luck, I am sure we will see a couple of 100 pounders within easy stalking range.

The Chobe District seems to be much like the Caprivi Strip, sandy soiled and sparsely wooded with teak and mopane scrub.

And swarming with elephants.

There are more elephants there than anywhere else in Botswana, and there are more elephants in Botswana than anywhere else in Africa.

Can you imagine shooting a 70 or 80 or 100 pounder, and being forbidden from bringing the ivory home?

Botswana is overrun by elephants. They reinstated elephant and other hunting to thin the herds and bring economic benefits to the people for conservation of their big game animals.

But our government in the United States considers itself smarter and more environmentally upright.

The sad thing is that only the game animals and local poeple will suffer.

Did Botswana had new hunting rules now?
Or did they use the old ones?

Is an gamescout nessacary in Botswana during the hunting?

Thank you gentleman.

https://www.straitstimes.com/w...-hunters-to-kill-287

Botswana offers rights to kill 287 elephants in bid to boost stalled hunting industry


PUBLISHED5 HOURS AGO


GABORONE (BLOOMBERG) - Botswana is offering rights to shoot 287 elephants as the southern African country, which has the world's biggest population of the animals, tries to breathe life into a hunting industry stalled by the Covid-19 outbreak.

The hunting season will begin on April 6, with licences to kill leopards, zebras and buffaloes also on sale, according to the Department of Wildlife and National Parks.

The restart of hunting in Botswana last year, after a ban imposed by former president Ian Khama in 2014 was lifted, was largely thwarted by restrictions associated with the coronavirus.


With the disease still raging across large parts of the world, including southern Africa, hunting operators will face an uphill battle to maximise earnings.

Most hunters who visit the region traditionally come from the United States, while a smaller number come from Spain, Eastern Europe and Russia.

"International clients such as those from the US can come in under difficult conditions, but several European Union countries have lockdowns in place preventing travel to Botswana," Ms Debbie Peake, a spokesman for the Botswana Wildlife Producers Association, which includes hunt operators among its members, said by phone.



"The industry has put in place the strictest protocols in camps and among staff to protect clients."

Mr Khama's successor, Mr Mokgweetsi Masisi, lifted the suspension, enraging conservationists who said the move would harm the US$2 billion (S$2.7 billion) per annum photo safari industry.

The government argued that the country's 130,000 elephants were destroying crops and occasionally trampling villagers, and their numbers needed to be kept in check.

Botswana's neighbours, including South Africa and Zimbabwe, allow elephant hunting.

Of the original hunting concessions only 2 areas have been re awarded quota the rest remain in limbo as not re allocated , the only quota issued so far are auction packages in community areas and areas outside of the Okavango Chobe demarcated areas.

Two airlines commute from Joburg to Maun, Airlink and Air Botswana.. Airlink is tip top..never any issues but Air Botswana is utter useless..been there done that..

I´d rather walk Joburg - Cairo than fly with them again..