Botswana started the process of removing the horns of rhinos and also transferring them from Okavango Delta. This was because these wild animals were facing a crisis from increased poaching.
According to government of Botswana data, at least 56 rhinos have been poached in the last two years. This was a crisis considering that in 1992 all black rhinos in Botswana were wiped out by poachers and the population of white rhinos had reduced to just 27. Most of the horns acquired by poachers are smuggled to the Far East where there is a ready market. They are believed to cure various illinesses including cancer.
The Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources, Tourism and Conservation has reported that dehorning makes the rhinos valueless to the poachers because they are only interested in the horns. Tourism is the fifth largest contributor to Botswana economy.
The data on rhino population in Botswana is a top government secret. By 2014, there were 153 white rhinos in Botswana according to official data. The country imported 87 more rhinos from South Africa in 2019.
Okavango Delta is the biggest tourist attraction in Botswana. This is large wildlife sanctuary. It is now threatened by the activities of poachers. Botswana does not have border patrols leaving a gap for liberation war veterans from Zimbabwe and Namibia to cross the boarder hunting for the horns. These guys have links with buyers in Asia.
A part from carrying out the dehorning exercise, the government also aims at conducting a lot of anti-poaching campaigns.
