DSWF News - Botswana: Department of Wildlife and National Parks acts to save the Lion

The Reporter (Gaborone)

The Department of Wildlife and National Parks in the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism (MEWT) has suspended the hunting of lions.

In a statement released on Monday, the department expressed concern that to date, lions continue to be killed at unsustainable levels.

The department noted that since 2005, it has been allowing a sustainable off-take quota of 1 per cent of the lion population targeting mature males only.

Additionally, farmers are permitted under the Wildlife and National Parks Act to protect their livestock from predation.

The cumulative total of trophy hunts and lions killed annually as problem animals is about 3.5 per cent from an estimated population base of 3, 000 individuals.

"Female lions in particular fall victim to killing of problem animals since they do the hunting. Consequently, cubs are left behind without protection and almost always die.

Government has therefore taken a precautionary measure of removing the lion from the quota while this situation is being redressed.

"The lion populations of Kweneng, Gantsi and Kgalagadi Districts are severely affected and there are preliminary indications that they may be experiencing a decline," observed the statement.