Botswana’s Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism, Tshekedi Khama, has warned poachers that the government will protect rhinos at all costs, Botswana’s daily The Voice reported.
“In fact poachers should start carrying their IDs so that we can notify their next of kin. Yes, God will judge the poachers but it’s up to us to arrange the meeting,” Khama was quoted as saying.
The Minister also said 100 rhinos would be translocated from South Africa to Botswana.
Spearheaded in part by Great Plains Conservation, the plan is to move at least 100 rhinos out of densely populated areas in South Africa that are attracting poaching, and release them into the wild in Botswana.
“Botswana has been carefully selected for its extremely low poaching rates, thanks in part to its ‘no tolerance’ policy when encountering potential threats,” said Hilton Walker, Sales and Marketing Director, Great Plains Conservation.
Great Plains Conservation, together with &Beyond, have already relocated 25 rhinos to date. “We are raising funds right now to move the next batch of 25 rhinos, which we hope to undertake in the next 30-60 days,” Walker added.
For more information on the relocation efforts or to find out how you can donate, visit www.greatplainsfoundation.com/rhinos.
