Poachers gun down P12bn of Botswana wildlife value

Lewanika Timothy | Monday April 20, 2026 06:00

Despite Botswana’s fauna being an international tourist puller, the species of the jungle have attracted the attention of global mafia gangs.

The gangs apparently have teamed up with insiders at anti-poaching units, leading to the country bleeding billions of pula that are further siphoned outside of the country through illegal channels.

A team of researchers comprising financial experts and seasoned money laundering experts in the country found that the country was under siege of illegal hunting and trafficking of elephant tusks and rhinos, with the country facing growing appeal to poachers due to its large wildlife herd.

“The prevalent environmental crimes in Botswana were found to emanate from illegal trafficking of wildlife and wildlife products,” researchers noted.

“Wildlife crime was considered to be the most significant threat under environmental crimes, resulting in it being considered a national threat. Wildlife crime was assessed as posing a high money laundering threat.”

The latest report further pointed out that the poaching problem was exacerbated by gaps in calculating the financial loss of wildlife crime endured by the country, with current reported figures depicting a lesser injustice compared to what fired bullets in the Chobe region are costing the country.

Researcher’s revealed that the country posted a wildlife crime financial loss of P2.8 million, based on the weights of tasks recovered as compared to the ecological value of these animals, which was valued at over P12.4 billion.

“The existing in-country approach is limited by available Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) valuation data and low levels of detection of poached wildlife products such as tusks and rhino horn. This process requires the weighing of the products. Using this method, the estimated value for the period is P2, 844,096.85,” researchers found.

“Research-based methodology, utilising lifetime valuations from studies conducted by international independent researchers and organisations. The lifetime value for the elephants and rhinos poached during this period is estimated at P12,470,895,000.”

The country's wildlife sector is a predominant economic asset supporting the tourism industry and contributing to biodiversity conservation.

Roughly 40% of the land in Botswana is under conservation as national parks, game reserves, and wildlife management areas (WMAs), making it one of the leading countries in Africa for biodiversity conservation.

Botswana's elephant population is one of the highest in the world, representing close to a third of Africa’s total. This vast wildlife base has long positioned the country as a premium safari destination, anchoring a high-value tourism model built around conservation.

Unlike mass tourism markets, Botswana’s approach deliberately limits visitor numbers while commanding higher spending per tourist, with wildlife experiences forming the backbone of this strategy.

This natural capital has fed billions into the mainstream economy, with the tourism sector contributing around five percent to GDP in 2023 as the industry continued its post-pandemic recovery, down from pre-COVID levels of 13–14% when international travel was at its peak.

This vast wildlife population has made it a target for wildlife criminals, particularly due to the fact that the country is known to have the highest elephant population in Africa.

The report further flagged Botswana’s porous borders, pointing out that they provide an enabling environment for cross-border syndicates to operate with relative ease, with trafficked wildlife products quickly moved out of the country before detection.

“Wildlife crimes are transnational, with offences for elephant and rhino poaching mostly committed in Botswana while animal products are trafficked outside,” the report added.

Investigators note that the country’s extensive conservation areas, while a cornerstone of its tourism success, have inadvertently created enforcement challenges, particularly in remote regions where surveillance is limited and response times are slow. These gaps, coupled with difficult terrain, have allowed poachers to exploit entry and exit points undetected.

“The assessment considered sophisticated methods used by criminals to evade detection, including travelling by foot and through difficult terrain such as swamps,” researchers said.

The report also pointed to “suspected information leakages from insiders”, suggesting that criminal networks may be receiving operational intelligence that enables them to avoid patrols and target high-value animals, including those under active tracking and protection.

This level of coordination, researchers said, signals a shift from opportunistic poaching to organised, intelligence-driven operations backed by well-resourced syndicates.

“There is also involvement of well-known criminal syndicates, as well as former anti-poaching personnel who contribute specialised skills,” the report notes.