Africa-Press – Botswana. Botswana has adopted Monitoring of Illegal Killing of Elephants managed by CITES to conserve and manage its elephant population, therefore killing of elephants for consumption is illegal.
This was explained to residents of Moremaoto and Khumaga on Wednesday by Vice President Mr Slumber Tsogwane.
He stated that even those who applied for the hunting licence of elephants did not kill the elephants for consumption purposes.
He said this in response to a suggestion from one resident of Khumaga, Mr Bapaletswe Motlamma who had proposed that elephants should be culled and their meat be sold for consumption.
Mr Motlamma expressed grievous concern that elephants overpopulated their village making their lives difficult as they could no longer farm since the animals destroyed their crops.
Mr Tsogwane implored the Department of Wildlife and National Parks to address the elephants’ overpopulation in the tribal territory, as it caused land degradation.
Mr Tsogwane, who is the area Member of Parliament, urged the department to reduce elephant numbers by giving community trusts hunting quotas every year, stating that failure to do so would lead to unsustainable multiplication of elephants.
The residents decried rife human/wildlife conflict.
Wildlife Senior Officer Mr Phemelo Gadimang undertook that the Department of Wildlife and National Parks would ensure better control elephant movement in the territory.
In Moremaoto, the Village Development Committee Chairperson Mr Castro Molefhe complained of lions that terrorised the village.
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