Botswana Archives - Africa Geographic

Understanding the Okavango Delta

The Okavango Delta is an enormous watery oasis, home to an astonishing variety of wildlife and host to some of the best Botswana safaris

Botswana’s zebra migrations

Botswana hosts two zebra migrations, one of which is the longest mammal migration in Africa. The zebras travel in search of water and grazing

Collared elephant hunted in Botswana, tracking device destroyed

A large bull elephant carrying a research collar with a tracking device has been killed by trophy hunters in Botswana, and the tracking device destroyed.

Botswana elephant hunting: Chaos and disillusionment as citizen licenses are raffled

Botswana elephant hunting: Eight elephant hunting licenses were awarded to Maun-based Botswana citizens, and the eight winners and almost 6,000 losers were unhappy with the results when the reality of the T&Cs set in.

Scientists write letter to Botswana president about elephants

Prominent elephant scientists write to Botswana’s President Masisi about strategy to manage elephants and reduce conflict with humans.

Opinion: The untold story behind hunting in Botswana

Hunting in Botswana: Human-wildlife conflict scientist takes a deeper look at whether the historic hunting ban was good or bad for elephants and people.

Catastrophic breaking news: 537 vultures found poisoned in dark day for Botswana conservation

Botswana’s Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) has announced that they have recently identified a poisoning site with 537 dead vultures (comprising five species) and two tawny eagles.

Please help. Botswana cheetahs need livestock guard dogs, and YOU

Cheetah Conservation Botswana is looking for donations to help place 25 livestock guarding puppies with farmers that are the hardest hit by human-wildlife conflict.

Botswana government questions elephant survey report by Elephants Without Borders

Botswana’s government has questioned a new report by Elephants Without Borders detailing their 2018 elephant aerial survey.

Opinion: Dereck Joubert reacts to Botswana hunting and culling recommendation

Respected filmmaker and conservation spokesperson Dereck Joubert has reacted to the Botswana government committee proposal to resume trophy hunting, and commence with elephant culling. Plans also include erecting fences to prevent certain wildlife migrations, and improve on human-wildlife conflict mitigation methods.

Dereck Joubert sets the record straight about trophy hunting impact on lions and refutes claims of so-called benefits

An opinion post by Dereck Joubert as he sets the record straight about trophy hunting impact on lions and refutes claims of so-called benefits.

Botswana’s president addresses the issue of game farms and hunting in Botswana

Botswana’s president addresses the issue of game farms and hunting in Botswana.

Botswana elephant poaching debate: Wildlife vet speaks his mind

Botswana elephant poaching debate: Wildlife vet speaks his mind.

Elephants: Listen to the people of the Okavango – opinion

The elephant – an iconic species that is beloved around the world is not such a gentle giant to the people who actually live with Earth’s largest mammal. This is the story of over 16,000 people from 15 settlements in the eastern Okavango Delta panhandle who are trapped between a river and over 18,000 elephants.

Hunting causes life-threatening build-up of toxic lead in vultures

Research in Botswana has revealed that fragments of lead from recreational hunter ammunition are finding their way into vulture bloodstreams, and represent a significant threat to these critically endangered scavengers.

Research: Are there too many elephants in Botswana?

Botswana’s researchers contribute to the debate surrounding large elephant populations and their impact on the environment in southern Africa.

Kalahari lions: Research sheds light on population

Research has revealed that the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park (KTP) straddling South Africa and Botswana is a stronghold for African lions.

Wild dogs vote with sneezes

Scientists studying wild dogs in Botswana have found members of this endangered species use sneezes to vote on when the pack will move off and start hunting.

Leopard in Botswana with Africa Geographic

Why the green season is the time to visit Botswana

Botswana’s green season, the months of November to March, is known by locals as the “secret season” – when you will have game drives to yourself, and enjoy amazing sighting

There are safari accommodation options to suit all expectations and budgets ©Simon Espley

Safari tips: Understanding accommodation types

When it comes to going on a safari in Africa, you will soon discover that the selection of accommodation options is vast. From straw huts and mobile camps, to ultra-luxury hotels and lodges, your choice of where you’ll unload your bags will be influenced mainly by your needs and budget.

Benny the elephant © Water for Elephants Trust

Benny the elephant and Mike – a touching African story

When the dry season sets in and water is scarce, barriers blur and relationships are forged out of necessity. One such relationship is that of Benny the elephant and Mike the human.

My ‘Delta Detox’ mobile safari experience

Safari report-back: My tented mobile safari in the Okavango Delta, Botswana – an adventure I will never forget. By Carolien du Plessis

9 Elephants die in freak electrocution accident

In a tragic accident, 9 elephants have died in a freak accident after being electrocuted by power lines near Sua Pan and a village called Dukwi in Botswana.

A view of Table Mountain from the V&A Waterfront in Cape Town, South Africa

Cape Town + bush safari combos

How does one exactly combine Cape Town’s summer splendours with a wild Big 5 bushveld safari? We provide four fantastic summer/autumn combos!

lion viewing from a game drive vehicle, Khwai, Botswana

Best places to see wild lions in Africa

For the best chance of seeing lions in the wild, it would be advisable to head to one of Africa’s ‘lion hotspots’

‘Shoot-to-kill’ policy for poachers, say Botswana academics

South Africa should implement a ‘shoot-to-kill’ policy for poachers, suggest Botswana academics Goemeone EJ Mogomotsi and Patricia Kelilwe Madigele in a report titled ‘Live by the gun, die by the gun’.

6 Tips to sketch a cheetah hunt

Wildlife artist and art safari host Alison Nicholls shares tips for sketching a hunting cheetah hunt – including field sketches and photos

Walking Chief’s Island, Okavango Delta, Botswana

The safari of a lifetime in Botswana’s Okavango Delta – buffalo on foot, elephants playing in the water and more. By Tim & Heather Doyle

Botswanan communities want exemptions to hunting ban

Communities in Botswana want elephants and buffaloes to be exempted from the country’s two-year-old hunting ban, arguing that the two species are not in decline.

Antelope hybrid in the wilds of northern Botswana

A wild hybrid between a red lechwe and a waterbuck antelop confounds an experienced game ranger in Selinda, northern Botswana

Video: a human lookout post for meerkats

A group of guests were enjoying observing and photographing meerkats when one used them as a predator lookout platform.

Cat fight: leopard vs. caracal

When two big cats meet – it’s a battle between a leopard and a caracal in Botswana!

Dereck Joubert responds to a hunter on the economics of hunting

Dereck Joubert responds to hunter claims – explains how the argument for hunting gets thinner each time it is tested

Chinese delegate at Elephant Summit asks about buying elephant penis

A summary of the recent African Elephant Summit where a Chinese delegate asked about buying elephant parts including the trunk and penis.

Ivory dealers busted thanks to German travellers

On Monday the 16th of March 2015, two German travellers, Martin and Christin Kotthoff, led to the arrest of two ivory dealers near Kasane, Botswana.

Up close and personal with meerkats

Earlier this year, Will Burrard-Lucas travelled to the Makgadikgadi Pans region of Botswana to photograph some of the most charismatic (and cutest) creatures in Africa – meerkats!

Makgadikgadi: Fences and wildlife

The plains adjacent to the Boteti River, which flows into the Makgadikgadi salt pans, in Botswana, are home to some of the most amazing wildlife in Africa and conservation tourism is helping to preserve this wild area and its animals.

How dung beetles give birth to baobab trees

Scott Ramsay realises that despite our remarkable achievements, humans are not the only impressive life forces. That title also belongs to any number of other living things such as the impressive baobab tree or the humble dung beetle.

Co-existence between cheetah and farmers

Cheetah Conservation Botswana, situated among farmlands in the Ghanzi area, has been studying and working to assure a secure future for the nation’s cheetah. The coexistence between livestock farmers and the cheetahs is really the key to their survival.