Found this on Global Travel Industry News

BY GILL STADEN, ETN | JUL 18, 2011
(eTN) - Botswana government is set to ban hunting throughout the country following a recent report by Dr. Mike Chase, Elephants without Borders, which shows that some wildlife species have decreased by as much as 90% during the past 10 years. The decrease is due to hunting, poaching, and bushfires.

The Botswana government will promote photographic safaris only. Botswana does very well with its high-end photographic safaris which are world-renowned. The change in legislation will also affect Batswana hunters who are used to having their quota. However, in the interest of their wildlife, the government feels that they have no alternative but to ban all hunting.

The report shows that ostrich have declined by 95%, wildebeest by 90%, 84% of tsessebe, 81% of warthogs and kudu, and around 60% of giraffe. This is since 1996.

Botswana has much stricter policing of their wildlife than some countries. They are also willing to undertake aerial surveys and publish the results. The figures above are extremely frightening for our world when many African countries take no surveys of their wildlife populations and even if they did are not likely to publish them.

Sport hunting caused the ostrich to decline by 95%? It seems preposterous.

I really hope that's not correct. Even so, I wonder if that would leave the Tuli Block and private farms still open as long as they are fenced?

Which side of their arse are they pulling these ridiculous numbers from?

What a tragedy it will be if they close hunting there.

The arse they are pulling it from it Dr Michael Chase. I wonder if he could give a break down on what percentage of the decline has been caused by hunting. Bushfires and poaching may account for declines but properly controlled hunting on a sustainable basis has proven time and time again to improve not only numbers but variety of species as well.

This is once again a case of the greenies having the money and the drive to put their own information into effect......when oh when is the hunting industry going to start an active campaign with significant funding behind it to educate governments on the pros of hunting instead of letting The Mike Chases of this world get away with disemminating this drivel.

I wonder if this is in reference to the concession closings throughout Botswana rather than an overall "ban of hunting" in the country? It doesn't say it's been closed, it says "set to ban hunting". I bet the guy heard it and twisted the words a bit to make it sound like a triumph for the anti's. I talk to our Botswana outfitters every day and they haven't mentioned any new closing information.

I'll email them now and see if they know anything on a subject that no one except Mr. Chase seems to know about.

Here's the reply that Tharia Unwin in Johans office sent me on this subject:


Dear all,

We have been inundated with calls and e.mails since the latest news has hit the internet that hunting is to be 'banned' in Botswana.

We are fully aware of this and the official hunting industry in Botswana is in the process of putting the records straight. An official press release is due within the next day or two.

Suffice to say for the moment is that ELEPHANT HUNTING WILL NOT CLOSE!

Please note: It is not new news that certain areas in Botswana are in the process of changing from consumptive to non consumptive use. It is also not news that certain species have been taken off quota - such as tsessebe, ostrich, wildebeest. This has been reported on in the Hunting Report and other media late last year/early this year already.
We will be in touch again as soon as an official announcement is on hand.

Kind regards,

Tharia Unwin
Marketing Manager
JOHAN CALITZ SAFARIS
Marketing Office
P O Box 1238
KROONSTAD
9500
SOUTH AFRICA

Chase and Landen’s report still hasn’t been released, as can be seen at the EWB reports page HERE (second report). I emailed them for a copy but haven’t heard back yet.

Personally, I think this is a crock. Wildlife surveys are extremely difficult to get right, take lots of resources and time and usually have a fairly wide margin of error.

The idea that these two characters (Michael Chase and Kelly Landen) were able to conduct a survey of the entire Okavango Delta and conclude that "total species decline is about 61%" is pure f#%@*!g nonsense.

From the press release: “Comparing surveys going back to 1993 wildebeest numbers are shown to have shrunk by 90%, giraffe by 65%, tsessebe by 83%, lechwe by 58% and zebra by 53%. Also down about 80% are warthog, kudu, roan and ostrich. From 1999 to the present -- a period of only 10 years -- the running average for total species decline is about 61%.”

As everyone here knows, Kudu are browsers, usually in the bush, and sometimes difficult to spot even when they’re standing right in front of you (the gray ghost). Down by 80%? Really? How did they come up with that? I can’t wait to see their methodology.

easiest thing in the world to lie with is numbers. this kind of thing reminds me of about 30 years ago the northwest territories govt. did a survey on grizzly numbers. they took an aerial survey in the middle of the winter and concluded there were no griz in the NWT.

Figures lie and liars figure...

quote:

Originally posted by butchloc:
easiest thing in the world to lie with is numbers. this kind of thing reminds me of about 30 years ago the northwest territories govt. did a survey on grizzly numbers. they took an aerial survey in the middle of the winter and concluded there were no griz in the NWT.

Priceless!!

They should outlaw poaching.

I was in the delta in 09 and all I can say is double bullshit based on what I saw. The game was plentiful and to say the decreases are as dramatic as they claim means it must have been standing room only before. Total bullshit and I would bet lots of money the studies are tied somehow to the president. He has wanted photo only (not coincidental he has photo safari ownership)and hates hunting. As hard as it is for me to say write Bots off until that bastard is out of power.

Yo Dawn. I don't want to give you a hard time, but the caption on your photo could be used with great effect by the antis as it implies that you (or someone) shot "The Last of the Great Kalahari Lions" - and is damned proud of it.

If these animals are down by this much, how are the photo tourists going to be able to take so many pictures to sustain that tourist industry?

very interesting that no correlation is made between the severe decline in certain species and the explosive growth of the elephant population -

we should learn from what happenend when the elephants overan tsavo just a few decades ago - its about to happen in bots if nothing is done.

quote:

Yo Dawn. I don't want to give you a hard time, but the caption on your photo could be used with great effect by the antis as it implies that you (or someone) shot "The Last of the Great Kalahari Lions" - and is damned proud of it.

My sentiments as well...we are being watched, closely, and the esoteric happenings within a hunting site do not translate well into the public realm.

quote:

Originally posted by ivan carter:
very interesting that no correlation is made between the severe decline in certain species and the explosive growth of the elephant population -

we should learn from what happenend when the elephants overan tsavo just a few decades ago - its about to happen in bots if nothing is
done.

I was going to mention this as well. As you
know I just returned from Kruger and the
devastation to the habitat caused by the over
population of elephant was really eye opening.
The loss of habitat has to be negatively
reflected in the number of plainsgame.

Jason

quote:

Originally posted by BaxterB:
[QUOTE]Yo Dawn. I don't want to give you a hard time, but the caption on your photo could be used with great effect by the antis as it implies that you (or someone) shot "The Last of the Great Kalahari Lions" - and is damned proud of it.

What a shame that we have to think that way but you are right. I put "last" because they closed lion the next year, which is a big joke in Bots amongst anyone who knows about lion there. While I was there in 07 we stopped at the game guard compound and saw the numbers for PAC lions killed which at the time was up to 167.Total on quota for the entire country was low 30s if I recall correctly. The guys I hunted with were cattle ranchers and they laughed at those numbers and said probably only 20% of the lions killed are done with PAC paperwork. Lions and population just don't mix and Khama just does not get that the dollars for hunting them is really their only chance. You will not see any photo safaris close to where I was at, Delta sure but not the desert proper.

Regardless the place I hunted was lousy with lions. The place I hunted was KD 12, which is about 2 million acres, and they had at the time one permit for lion and one for leopard. I have hunted in Chobe where the buffs are prolific and the quota was 2. Ridiculous to even think wildlife numbers in Bots has anything to do with hunting other than without it the animals are worthless to the real killers (population growth and poaching).

What is really funny is all the lions I saw in the delta in 09. They had a gang of 8 fairly mature lions (3 awesome ones in the bunch) reeking havoc and were talking about darting them and breaking the clan up because they were gang hammering anything that breathed. When they battled another pride they got carried away and killed them all, females included. Everywhere we walked we bumped into lions. I wondered if closing lion and now leopard would increase to unsustainable levels predators.

Ivan has also put his finger on the problem if there really is one. I was new to elephant hunting and when I first saw Chobe I had to take lots of photos of the absolute devastation the ele herd had inflicted on the area. It looked like a nuke was dropped. The next time I was there the mopani was for miles stunted and all the bigger stuff was toppled even farther back from where it was in 07. They water then destroy the next closest food source until where they live is miles away from where they water….makes for some interesting walks.

I would hope that Khama lets Ele hunting alone but in my opinion it is threatened simply because he truly hates hunting. For the rest of hunting in Bots it is finished except for private ranches. Not my cup of tea but for those that like it, the quality of animals will be excellent. What a shame we are losing such a high quality hunting destination.

http://www.huntingreport.com/w...te.cfm?articleid=574


Link to the Hunting Report regarding Botswana.