ALL ANIMALS ARE EQUAL
Rhino meat is like any other game meat - Council Chair
North West District councillors say the militarised and secretive approach to curbing rhino poaching will fail unless communities living in wildlife protection areas are involved.
Speaking at the just ended sub council meeting in Maun, councillors advocated community engagement in anti-poaching efforts.
“We are told the matter is sensitive, I mean, what is sensitive about rhinos? A rhino is just meat like any other meat, what is sensitive about it?”
North West District Council Chairperson, Kebareeditse Ntsogotho, expressed disappointment that the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) through the District Commissioner’s office had refused to involve communities in the fight against rhino poaching.
“If we teach people that rhinos are sensitive, surely we are going to fail, we would not win this battle. I am betting on it,” Ntsogotlho said.
Earlier on, Bojanala Councillor, Luke Motlaleselelo, had wanted to know the efforts made by central government in terms of involving communities in the fight against rhino poaching; a crime which has since reached unprecedented levels in the Okavango Delta.
“When rhinos were relocated to our area near Ditshiping, we took the initiative to call the DWNP to address the people on how to co-exist with these animals. But our concern is that out of all the people engaged in the rhino conservation, none is from these communities. But if you are saying you do not need our involvement, it is okay, we will go back to the people and inform them about that decision; that rhinos are under the exclusive care of government. We would not get involved,” lamented Motlaleselelo.
Meanwhile, former president and passionate conservationist, Ian Khama Seretse Khama, caused a stir this week with a Facebook post alleging that 120 rhinos were killed in the country since last year.
LIES
He further suggested that at the end of COVID era, there would be no rhinos left to attract tourists into the country if rife poaching continued unabated. In response, the government accused Khama of spreading malicious lies and confusion.
“DWNP advises that the claims in the above cited post are devoid of any truth, and are misleading, malicious and grossly irresponsible,” government said in a statement.
Meanwhile, the population of Botswana rhinos remains a closely guarded secret.
Indeed DWNP Director, Dr Kabelo Senyatso, insisted that his department has a long standing policy on secrecy because they do “not discuss operational and security sensitive anti-poaching information in the media that only serves to increase the safety risks that our on-the-ground operatives face.”
But Maun Administration Authority Chairperson, Vepaune Moreti, says it is this alleged “sensitivity,” that is causing people to kill rhinos.
“People’s curiosity is piqued by this word, that is why they are killing rhinos in large numbers because they want to find out what is so sensitive about rhinos and their meat? They want to get close and see that sensitive thing in the rhinos and access it,” said Moreti when advocating community involvement in rhino conservation.