Botswana deploys helicopters, fixed-wing aircraft, troops and game scouts to track down elephants poachers

Five elephants were killed in the NG32 concession in Maun, Botswanalast week and had their trunks and tusks cut off with what is thought to be a power saw. The three were ambushed as they walked slowly through the bush near a supply track, leading to remote luxury lodges from the Boro gate in the buffalo fence close to Maun. About 9km into the bush the armed poachers lay in wait and shot dead the three elephants for their ivory. Hunting and safari personnel say the killings were brutally carried out with at least one power saw being used to cut off trunks, rip out the tusks, and mutilate the heads. The poachers, it is believed, had the use of a truck onto which they loaded the ivory and then carried on with their killing spree – and killed the 4 th elephant . Later, in the Kopano Mokoro Community Trust area, the carcass of a 5 th elephant was also discovered. It is not known if the killers of the first four were also responsible for the 5 th . This week, a massive operation was launched to flush out would-be poachers in the Okavango delta with helicopters and fixed wing aircraft assisting security personnel on the ground as they tracked the poachers. The Wildlife coordinator for Maun, Bolt Otlhomile, confirmed the arrest of 6 poachers in NG32 near Xhuruxharaga, close to Maun. The six suspects, all local people, were taken into custody for possession of two elephant tusks. They are likely to face charges of unlawful hunting which carries a P100 000 fine or 5 years imprisonment.There is no indication as yet whether the six were responsible for the poaching of the 5 th elephant. Otlhomile urged all Batswana “to work hand-in-hand with wildlife scouts, police, tribal chiefs, members of the community and conservation bodies to combat poaching and problem animals which kill people in the region time and again. “The Wildlife department is currently training special scouts to help the community because of the escalating poaching rate and problem animals in Ngamiland.” The special scouts are to operate in remote areas. The discovery of the dead elephants has horrified safari operators and the hunting fraternity and they say poaching can be prevented if hunting is allowed to continue after the year-end deadline announced by the government earlier this year. “Hunters are the policemen of the bush. Poachers wouldn't dare try to kill animals if there are hunting parties nearby as they know they will be pursued and caught,” said one hunter. Meanwhile, the Kalahari Conservation Society (KCS) says it is seriously concerned about escalating incidents of poaching. Sophia Walters, the society's public relations consultant, said in an interview published in Gaborone recently that the “KCS views poaching as a serious threat to Botswana's wildlife. “ Source: Ngami Times, Maun, Botswana