Rhino vanishes from Makgadikgadi

NOMSA NDLOVU-GHERKE

A rhinoceros has gone missing from the Makgadikgadi Salt Pans in the past month.

The disappearance of the pachyderm was noted during a recent animal count by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks in the Pans.

Ngamiland regional wildlife officer Molotlhanyi Bolt Othomile said that it is too early to conclude that the animal fell into the hands of poachers. He said that as a wild beast, the animal is always prone to migrate from its usual location to other parts of the country.

"At present our Anti-Poaching Unit and the Botswana Defence Force personnel are doing all in their power to locate the missing animal", he said.

According to some information reaching Mmegi, the Anti-poaching Unit is failing to keep the animals under surveillance because the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) is short of patrolling vehicles. The only helicopter they have is grounded and motor vehicles are in short supply in the area, leaving many endangered animal species vulnerable to poaching, which has become very prevalent in the region - especially in South Africa.

It is also reported that due to floods in some areas of the Pans, the Anti-Poaching Unit cannot access certain marshy areas where game has moved to. As a result, poachers, mostly of suspected Angolan and Somalian origin, are having uninterrupted access to the animals.

Othomile admitted that their chopper has been grounded for a long time now due to mechanical problems. He said the parts needed to fix it are not available in the local market. "Due to the prevailing financial crunch, DWNP hasn't been able to replace the parts that are only available in England", he said.

Othomile however, dismissed reports that their fleet of vehicles can't fully serve the Ant-Poaching Unit. He said that poachers will be shocked if they thought that Botswana was an easy target for their illegal hunting activities.

"Our game is intensely protected. We have always had the BDF to cover us in areas where we are lacking. At present the army, in partnership with the wildlife officers, are patrolling the bush with BDF choppers. We also have boats to reach flooded areas", he said.

The disappearance of the animal comes at a time when South Africa's rhinos are being butchered by poachers in large numbers. Nearly 200 of the beasts have been slaughtered during the first half of 2011. One hundred and twenty-six out of the total were gunned down at Kruger National Park alone.

According to WWF, South Africa's onslaught is being orchestrated by international criminal networks using helicopters and automatic weapons. The syndicates are wiping rhinos out in national parks and privately owned game ranches in South Africa. The horns are then smuggled to China and Vietnam where they are highly prized ingredient in traditional medicine.

Botswana's rhinos would have long vanished by now had the Khama Rhino Sanctuary not been set up. By then only 18 white rhinos and a single black rhino were remaining in the wild.

When the Sanctuary released them into the bush again in 2008, their numbers had multiplied to 38.

Othomile said that DWNP is alert about the situation in South Africa and they are ready to meet the challenge if Botswana becomes the next target for the international poaching syndicates.