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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
Human rights are sacred

It highlights the need to protect rights such as access to clean water, education, healthcare and freedom of expression.President Duma Boko, rightly honours past interventions from securing a dignified burial for Gaoberekwe Pitseng in the CKGR to promoting linguistic inclusion. Yet, they also expose a critical truth, that a nation cannot sustainably protect its people through ad hoc acts of compassion alone.It is time for both government and the...

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