GABORONE, Feb. 10 — Botswana plans to rearm its game rangers to combat poaching, a senior official said on Thursday. In response to a question on Botswana Television in Gaborone, Minister of Environment and Tourism Wynter Mmolotsi said that they are currently in the process of rearming the anti-poaching unit and will do so in a short period of time in an effort to assist wildlife officers in combating heavily armed poachers. In 2018, the government disarmed wildlife rangers, saying that the legislation only permitted military personnel to carry firearms on anti-poaching patrols. Since then, poaching has escalated. In 2018, about seven rhinos were killed, followed by a major surge in 2019 that continued through 2020, with 30 to 62 rhinos poached, according to government figures. Since 2020, the government has been dehorning rhinos to protect them from poaching and has gradually relocated all rhinos to prevent a spike in poaching and support population recovery.
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