Africa-Press – Botswana. The Ministry of Environment and Tourism is in the process of equipping Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) offices to enable them to intensify patrols in all villages, it has been revealed.
This follows the overrunning of farms by wild animals and the resultant crop destruction affecting mainly Parakarungu and Satau villages.
“Government is aware of animal invasions which is why the Ministry of Environment and Tourism is working to intensify and strengthen its wildlife bases to protect our people and their belongings from animal invasions,” Chobe MP Mr Machana Shamukuni said Monday.
Addressing a kgotla meeting in Parakarungu, the justice minister explained that migration of wild animals from the wild to Parakarungu and Satau was a result of this season’s poor rainfall which had led to insufficient grazing.
Wildlife had therefore resorted to invading farms, he said.
Mr Shamukuni informed his audience that the world at large was experiencing the effects of climate change which had affected seasons and rainfall patterns.
He pointed out that wild animals could not be wiped out as they contributed immensely to Botswana’s economic development.
MP Shamukuni advised the village leadership to seek permission to trim trees from the Department of Forestry and Range Resources for which the Ipelegeng Programme could be utilised.
DWNP senior wildlife warden Mr Bizani Maika said his organisation would this week expedite assessment of crop damage caused by wild animals in Parakarungu.
He revealed that DWNP was in the process of assessing the feasibility of setting up a satellite camp in the village as requested by the district council.
Giving a status report, Parakarungu VDC chairperson Mr Mogomotsi Muzebi stated that a total of 32 cases of crop destruction by wildlife had been reported this year.
Noting that agriculture was the principal means of survival for the people of Parakarungu, Mr Muzebi said destruction of crops meant that many households would go hungry.
He pointed out that crop destruction was also counterproductive as farmers had benefitted from government’s seed and tractor subsidies.
Residents appealed to DWNP to be prompt in responding to reports in order to make proper assessment rather than coming months after the fact which resulted in discrepancies.
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