[botswanapredatorforum] Re: Report on Setata Fence

  • From: "Graham Hemson" <graham.hemson@xxxxxxxxx>
  • To: <botswanapredatorforum@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
  • Date: Fri, 8 Feb 2008 14:35:50 +0300

Livestock farmers have had free access to shooting lions forever in more
remote areas of Botswana (remote from DWNP posts at least) and up until
fairly recently I think the act stated that you had to have made an effort
to kill the predator to receive compensation, or at least that you were
allowed to "have a go" after livestock predation ( I seem to remember three
days after but maybe I imagined that bit). When I was in the Makgadikgadi I
got the distinct impression that a lot more lions would have been killed by
farmers if they hadn't have thought it would have been noticed by the
researcher with the collars. The law allowed them to chase after livestock
killers with pretty much anything except a snare or a dog. There was also a
tacit agreement between the local DWNP officials and the community that leg
hold traps were fine to use (as the wording of the act was specific to
snare) and up until the first ban on hunting all lions killed were trapped
and then shot. As soon as the ban came along the only anthropogenic
mortality was due to poisoning.

 

I presume in areas where the law has never really had much bite nothing has
probably changed people are continuing to trap, shoot or poison as they seem
fit, however in areas more closely policed such as around the Okavango I
would think that people would feel it a legitimate possibility that they
would actually get caught killing lions now and thus might take up the
poison.

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