Botswana, Namibia in joint elephant poaching investigation
Xinhua
December 30, 2023
Botswana and Namibia have embarked on a joint investigation into the
increased incidents of elephant poaching in the northern part of Botswana.
"The country (Botswana) experienced a surge in elephant poaching incidents
during November and December 2023," Lesego Kgomanyane, the spokesperson for
Botswana's Ministry of Environment and Tourism, told Xinhua over the
telephone, noting that the development has shone the light on the apparent
increase in poaching of elephants in northern Botswana.
At least four separate incidents involving arrests of poaching groups
smuggling elephant tusks were made in Namibia within ten days of
mid-November this year, and at least 68 elephant tusks weighing almost a
tonne were seized in Namibia's eastern area of the Zambezi region, which
borders Botswana and Zambia, she said.
According to Kgomanyane, preliminary investigations into the incidents have
established that most of the tusks came from the elephants recently poached
in Botswana.
Kgomanyane said some of the arrests occurred as a result of a tipoff that
Namibia's Zambezi Region is being used as a transit route to smuggle tusks
of poached elephants from Botswana to Zambia.
Major General Goitseone Mothapo of the Botswana Defense Forces (BDF) is
leading the anti-poaching brigade from Botswana, who are working closely
with their Namibian counterparts.
Mothapo told Xinhua that 25 carcasses of recently poached adult bull
elephants were identified in Botswana's Linyanti Game Reserve, north of
Botswana, between October and November. The enforcement agencies from both
Botswana and Namibia are still verifying the proportion of tusks from
poached animals with those that died due to natural causes.
Meanwhile, both the governments of Botswana and Namibia have significantly
increased the number of patrol teams in the northern part of Botswana and
information sharing between the two neighboring nations.
https://english.news.cn/20231230/b5fca3b26dfe4ab0affffdad735ea159/c.html
Botswana, Namibia in joint elephant poaching investigation
Xinhua
December 30, 2023
Botswana and Namibia have embarked on a joint investigation into the
increased incidents of elephant poaching in the northern part of Botswana.
"The country (Botswana) experienced a surge in elephant poaching incidents
during November and December 2023," Lesego Kgomanyane, the spokesperson for
Botswana's Ministry of Environment and Tourism, told Xinhua over the
telephone, noting that the development has shone the light on the apparent
increase in poaching of elephants in northern Botswana.
At least four separate incidents involving arrests of poaching groups
smuggling elephant tusks were made in Namibia within ten days of
mid-November this year, and at least 68 elephant tusks weighing almost a
tonne were seized in Namibia's eastern area of the Zambezi region, which
borders Botswana and Zambia, she said.
According to Kgomanyane, preliminary investigations into the incidents have
established that most of the tusks came from the elephants recently poached
in Botswana.
Kgomanyane said some of the arrests occurred as a result of a tipoff that
Namibia's Zambezi Region is being used as a transit route to smuggle tusks
of poached elephants from Botswana to Zambia.
Major General Goitseone Mothapo of the Botswana Defense Forces (BDF) is
leading the anti-poaching brigade from Botswana, who are working closely
with their Namibian counterparts.
Mothapo told Xinhua that 25 carcasses of recently poached adult bull
elephants were identified in Botswana's Linyanti Game Reserve, north of
Botswana, between October and November. The enforcement agencies from both
Botswana and Namibia are still verifying the proportion of tusks from
poached animals with those that died due to natural causes.
Meanwhile, both the governments of Botswana and Namibia have significantly
increased the number of patrol teams in the northern part of Botswana and
information sharing between the two neighboring nations.
https://english.news.cn/20231230/b5fca3b26dfe4ab0affffdad735ea159/c.html
