(eTN) – Botswana government is set to ban hunting throughout the country following a recent report by Dr. Mike Chase, Elephants without Borders, which shows that some wildlife species have decreased by as much as 90% during the past 10 years. The decrease is due to hunting, poaching, and bushfires.

The Botswana government will promote photographic safaris only. Botswana does very well with its high-end photographic safaris which are world-renowned. The change in legislation will also affect Batswana hunters who are used to having their quota. However, in the interest of their wildlife, the government feels that they have no alternative but to ban all hunting.

The report shows that ostrich have declined by 95%, wildebeest by 90%, 84% of tsessebe, 81% of warthogs and kudu, and around 60% of giraffe. This is since 1996.

Botswana has much stricter policing of their wildlife than some countries. They are also willing to undertake aerial surveys and publish the results. The figures above are extremely frightening for our world when many African countries take no surveys of their wildlife populations and even if they did are not likely to publish them.