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Tcheku Community Trust has adopted the Intermittent Hunting Period (IHP) model in an effort to address the conflict between the anti-hunters and the pro-hunters on hunting of Southern African elephants.
The Trust which is located within the NG 11 Concession in the Eastern panhandle of the Okavango Delta serves four settlements in the area being Tobere, Kaputura, Kycia and Seshokora.
IHP model is basically scheduling hunting periods thus giving animals rest periods between the hunting seasons. It can be used as a means of minimising disturbance of animals in a concession.
Anti-hunters such as the animal rights groups have previously supported various Western African countries that tabled motions against SADC trading with elephants at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) convention in PANAMA city last year.
SADC was however able to safeguard its bid for elephant hunting and trading of ivory from being up listed to Appendix I at the convention. Up listing of elephants to Appendix I meant SADC will be unable to hunt elephants.
Botswana lifted a long standing ban on hunting in 2019. It has a time frame annual hunting seasons in protected hunting areas and quotas are issued on which animal to be hunted.
In an interview, Tcheku communications officer James Tebogo revealed that they have adopted a 20 year intermittent hunting model which he explained will cater for pro and anti- hunters as well as wild animals.
One of the concerns aired by the anti-hunters, Tebogo has said, is that hunting cause’s disturbance to wild animals hence going against the conservation objectives.
“This model will be dealing with addressing this issue as allowing for a free hunting year for the animals to rest,” Tebogo said.
He indicated that with the model which they initially adopted in 2022 they will hunt for five years from 2022 to 2026 then take a hunting break in 2027, then hunt again in 2028 before taking another two year period from 2029 to 2030.
“With this model we will be able to allow animals to refresh from hunting disturbance and avoid situations where they migrate from our concession,” James noted.
Tebogo has revealed that as part of the IHP model, they have also divided their concession into three section where the first one is for photographic, second is for hunting and the third one is a resting area where there is not activity taking place in the area.
“Animals will be able to migrate into the undisturbed zone if they ever feel threatened, they will not migrate from the concession,” he emphasized.
