Botswana stops all hunting

Botswana President, Lt Gen Ian Khama, announced in Chobe last week, all hunting will be banned in Botswana as from 2014. “After 2013 commercial and private hunting of wildlife will no longer be allowed in Botswana” he told a meeting in Chobe district.
“Next year will be the last time anyone is allowed to hunt in Botswana and we have realised that if we do not take care of our animals, we will have a huge problem in terms of tourism.”
President Khama also reassured Chobe residents that, while fighting poaching, the Botswana Government is also committed to step up efforts to keep elephants away from their villages and farms. He further informed them of the government’s decision to increase its compensation to local farmers who suffer damages due to elephants. The Chobe District at any given time hosts the majority of Botswana’s elephants, which is estimated to be about 130,000, or one fifth of the global elephant population.