Hunting benefit communities
The hunting season, conducted in accordance with national laws, is underway. Despite opposition from some first- world countries, visiting the area reveals that communities coexisting with wildlife use the proceeds for their development.
Discussions with these communities show that despite the risks of living alongside dangerous wildlife, proper management— currently in place— allows them to benefit, particularly from the sale of their allocated animal quota.
Each year, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species ( CITES) permits Botswana a quota of 400 elephants. It’s notable that the country has never reached this quota in a single season. Additionally, CITES prohibits the sale of tusks, requiring all tusks to be handed over to the government.
The hunting season is an annual event in designated areas of the country, starting in April and ending in September. The Department of Wildlife and National Parks sets the quota based on a scientific aerial survey indicating animal populations. Following this survey, a meeting determines the hunting quota, which is then distributed across the country based on species needs.
There are two types of hunting: citizen hunting and licensed hunting. In citizen hunting, individuals must apply for a hunting license and go through a raffle process to determine which animals they can hunt and in which areas. Each animal has a price tag, and the winner must pay before embarking on the hunting trip.
The second type of hunting is community hunting, reserved for Community Trusts. Each Trust within a designated hunting area is given a quota. The Trust independently contacts a safari operator to sell their quota, granting the operator the exclusive rights to hunt in the Trust’s designated areas. Hunters must adhere to strict laws and regulations, including a ban on hunting or shooting female animals, calves, cubs, young animals, and immature animals.
Additionally, hunters are prohibited from shooting from inside a vehicle; they must disembark and be accompanied by a qualified escort or guide, tracker, and professional hunter. Only authorised individuals can hunt, and they must follow strict guidelines to hunt only in wildlife management areas and controlled hunting areas, which are specifically designated for hunting.
Communities benefit significantly from the revenues generated by selling their quotas. These funds are used to develop projects that uplift the community both collectively and individually. Trusts develop well- thought- out initiatives to ensure every household benefit from the hunting proceeds.
For example, some communities have purchased vehicles to transport medical teams for bi- weekly visits, installed potable water pipes to eliminate the need for residents to travel long distances for water, built ablution facilities, and installed solar panels to electrify village houses and community spaces.
Among the benefits for communities with Trusts and hunting quotas is the provision of meat by the safari operators after successfully hunting their targets. Journalists visiting Phuduhudu village, about 144 kilometers east of Maun, witnessed the distribution of elephant meat from the sixth elephant killed out of the 11 allocated to the community for the current hunting season.
The safari operators who purchase hunting rights often donate the carcasses to the communities for consumption. Communities can sell an elephant for about P250,000.
Kgosi Johane Tholego Ngwengare of Phuduhudu explained how his village and the entire community benefit from these funds. Phuduhudu village is uniquely located between two pans in Makgadikgadi and Nxai Pans, allowing wildlife to move freely between the two areas.
When the river flows, wildlife crosses from Nxai Pan to Makgadikgadi, and once the river dries up, they return to Nxai, where numerous waterholes provide ample opportunities for drinking and bathing.
In the past, villagers relied on hunting wild animals with bows and arrows and collecting wild berries for their livelihood. However, with the introduction of legislation around 1978, the residents of present- day Phuduhudu became dependent on food rations provided by both US Aid and the Botswana government.
As the national population grew, the Basarwa of Phuduhudu and others transitioned from a nomadic lifestyle to a more settled one, learning to rear livestock and engage in farming. As circumstances changed, the community became more dependent on tourism, although they continued farming on a smaller scale.
Without boreholes, the Phuduhudu residents relied on a large pond called Xhauxhatubi, loosely translated to mean “a calf buffalo that drowned inside the pond”. When they formed a Trust, they named it Xhauxhatubi.
The pond dried up due to the rapid increase in wild animals, which forced the Trust to come up with initiatives to support these animals with water. Without these efforts, the animals would have invaded the village in search of water.
Although the villagers try their best to coexist with the wildlife, they still experience the migration of animals such as zebras, buffaloes, and elephants. Wherever these animals go, they are tracked by lions. When lions fail to catch their prey, they turn to the kraals to feed on domestic animals, sometimes killing up to three herds of cattle in one night.
Kgosi Ngwengare mentioned that about 80 percent of the Phuduhudu population is destitute and rely on government assistance, including livestock and goats. To protect their livestock, the Council provided Jojo water tanks. However, these tanks often become targets for elephants, which periodically come to the village and destroy them.
Elephants are intelligent animals and quickly learn how to circumvent or destroy deterrents. For example, when a barrier was put up to keep elephants out, they soon began digging deeper to remove the concrete base and pushed the barrier aside to gain access. Elephants can also enter farm fields and clear everything in one night. “However, we continue to coexist with these animals because we benefit significantly during hunting season.
“This year alone, we were given a quota of 11 elephants, which brought our Trust a total of P3.27 million. This money is used for development projects, and we also consume the meat from the hunted animals.”
Leletsang Leburu, the secretary of the Xhauxhatubi Development Trust, supports this view. He demonstrated that the benefits of hunting in their designated zone are substantial, as the proceeds are used to develop the entire community.
For example, the Trust sponsors youth to further their studies, setting aside P12,000 annually for prize- giving ceremonies to encourage academic excellence. The Trust also contributes the same amount to the local Independent Committee.
The Trust employs 12 people, including a general manager, 10 professional escort guides, and a driver. Additionally, when a community member is called for a job interview, the Trust covers all expenses to ensure their success, regardless of the location. The same support is extended if a community member falls ill and needs to be referred to another hospital. The Trust also supports various activities, such as sports and choral music, and assists bereaved families by contributing P1,500. They also allocate a Trust vehicle and driver to help the family with transportation, with expenses paid for by the government.