In 1992 Botswana had all but lost the battle against poachers. There were no black rhinos left in the country and white rhino numbers were approaching single digits. By 2001 all the wild rhinos were gone, and any survivors had been shipped to safety in other countries.
The government then decided to take matters in hand, as tourism is the country’s second biggest money spinner after diamond-mining.
A Model for Conservation in Africa
Poaching has been the scourge of Africa for decades, with conservationists finding themselves struggling against well-armed, well-organized and well-funded conglomerates of rhino horn smugglers.
The fight against poachers is an expensive one and most organizations find themselves without the manpower and finances to tackle these organizations head on. In Botswana, all that is changing slowly. Thanks to strong support from the upper levels of government, conservation is slowly gaining ground in the field of rhino conservation.
Setting the Standards Worldwide
Botswana provides a range of high-end tourism experiences for safari travelers. Rhinos are often a huge safari drawcard, due to their rarity and they are now back in Botswana. Most of them sourced from South Africa in exchange for sable antelope. The double benefit of this is that many South African reserves are currently experiencing an upswing in poaching, so they’re only too happy to send their rhinos to safety in Botswana.
At last, rhinos have returned to the Okavango Delta. Rhinos have more to offer Botswana than tourism though, they’re important architects of their surroundings. They help to ‘’mow’’ the lawns of the savannah, keeping weeds and shrubs in check.
Where to See Rhino on Your Botswana Safari
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