Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Despite Botswana's relative distance from the epicentre of poaching, it cannot entirely
escape the debate. In 2012 Botswana - along with Zimbabwe, Zambia, Angola and Nami-
bia - took the controversial decision to sell rhino-horn powder to medical clinics and
pharmacies in the region in a bid to undermine the illegal trade. A recent upsurge in rhino
poaching - rhino horn had an estimated black-market value of €52,000 per kilo in 2012 -
has seen the number of rhinos killed in neighbouring South Africa rise from 13 in 2007 to
as many as 600 in 2012; with approximately 19,000 rhinos, South Africa is home to an es-
timated 90% of the world rhinoceros population.
AFRICAN WILD DOGS
One of Botswana's most charismatic creatures, the African wild dog (also known as the
Cape hunting dog) is under serious threat. Where once half a million wild dogs roamed 39
African countries, only 3000 to 5300 remain in the wild in just 14 countries today.
African wild dogs live in packs of up to 28 animals, which may account for the fact that
they have one of the highest hunting success rates (as high as 70%) of all carnivores. That
and their maximum speed of 66km/h. Their preferred prey includes impala, red
lechwe
,
wildebeest, steenbok and warthog.
Moremi Game Reserve is believed to be home to 30% of the world's population, with
the Linyanti Marshes one of the best places to spot wild dog packs. Numbers are lower,
but the species is believed to persist in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. When we
were in Botswana, an entire pack was wiped out when a cow carcass was laced with pois-
on next to a wild dog den in the Tuli Block, an all-too-common scenario as this wide-ran-
ging carnivore comes increasingly into contact with humans.
REPTILES
Botswana's dry lands are home to over 150 species of reptile. These include 72 species of
snake, such as the poisonous Mozambique spitting cobra, Egyptian cobra and black
mamba. Although about 80% of snakes in Botswana are not venomous, watch out for the
deadly puff adder, much more frequently seen than the cobras and mamba. Tree snakes,
known as boomslangs, are also common in the delta.
