- Zebras, Antelopes, Warthogs offered to farmers for agro-tourism
The Fauna Conservation Society of Ngamiland, in collaboration with the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) and other partners recently relocated some wild animals from the Maun Educational Park (MEP) to save them from the effects of the current severe drought.
While efforts had been made to cushion the effects of the dry season by drilling boreholes inside the park, its carrying capacity is however said to have been exceeded by the animals.
Fauna Conservation Society of Ngamiland Chairman Tiego Mpho, revealed this week that the idea to reduce the animals was to ensure the numbers tally with the carrying capacity of the park in light of the ongoing drought.
The animals captured and relocated were mainly zebras, antelopes, and warthogs and were offered to farmers for keep in their masimo under the ministry of Environment and Tourism which offers start-up wildlife stock to farmers as a way to boost the agro-tourism sector.
The project which commenced in February 2022 requires the beneficiaries to ensure that there is adequate fodder and reliable water supply in their fields.
“We have got more zebras, antelopes, and warthogs than the park can sustain. We then asked the department of wildlife and national parks to capture and relocate some of these animals from the park and integrate them into their agro-tourism program,” Mpho said in an interview.
He emphasised that the focus is on these three species as their numbers are higher inside the park. The animals were given to farmers around Maun who had already applied for the program. The chairperson was however not certain about the total number of wildlife that was captured and relocated but stressed that the idea was to reduce their population.
In the project, the trust is also working with the Conservation of Natural Ecosystems Trust (CONNECT) to manage the ecology of the park. According to Mpho, the organisation has previously conducted a game count over the whole park which confirmed that the number of zebras, antelopes, and warthogs has exceeded the park’s carrying capacity.
The organisation is also responsible for patrolling the park, maintaining its fence as well as removing snares to curb illegal hunting. Mpho noted that poaching continues to be a cause of concern as perpetrators keep damaging the fence to gain entry into the park.
Mpho further highlighted their plan to open the park for public use for activities comprising picnics, walks, environmental education, and training programmes among others has been delayed by the proposed development by SmartBots which aims to transform the area into a science park.
“Because of these delays we don’t have ablutions yet but we might have a temporary arrangement where we refurbish the old ones and open the park immediately for public access,” he noted.
