Photo tourism lessens impact on Khwai hunting ban

KDT chairman, Baruti Sango explained that the trust is continuing to rake in profits even though hunting has been stopped. In 2011, government effected trophy hunting ban citing declines in wildlife. The move affected many community trusts in wildlife areas that heavily relied on hunting revenues, some of which have gone bankrupt. Ngamiland trusts, despite their location in pristine wildlife areas, are already failing to survive and are swimming in debt.

Sango, however, revealed that KDT is making enough money from photographic tourism attributing to this to longer experience in the industry. He explained that the hunting ban was piloted at Khwai way back in 2009 before eventually being rolled out nationally.  “We have a longer experience with the hunting ban as we stopped hunting in 2009. I can confidently tell you that our revenues are not at all affected by the hunting ban,” Sango said.