Elephant census: Kaza, Botswana’s big task

Counting heads: The KAZA region is undertaking the biggest elephant count ever PIC: THALEFANG CHARLES
Counting heads: The KAZA region is undertaking the biggest elephant count ever PIC: THALEFANG CHARLES

One of the world’s largest conservation areas, the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA) is preparing for its first-ever aerial elephant census to determine the number of these pachyderms across the southern African plains. The historic count takes place next winter between May and August, writes MQONDISI DUBE

KAZA’s estimated 220,000 elephants have attracted global attention. The majority of these elephants, about 130,000, reside in Botswana with neighbouring Zimbabwe home to an estimated 80,000 of the animals.

The other three KAZA members; Angola, Namibia and Zambia are under-populated. In particular, Angola has seen its numbers dwindle as the elephants fled from civil war and poaching.

Editor's Comment
Routine child vaccination imperative

The recent Vaccination Day in Motokwe, orchestrated through collaborative efforts between UNICEF, USAID, BRCS, and the Ministry of Health, underscores a commendable stride towards fortifying child health services.The painful reality as reflected by the Ministry of Health's data regarding the decline in routine immunisation coverage since the onset of the pandemic, is a cause for concern.It underscores the urgent need to address the...

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