GABORONE, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Botswana has suspended the project of offering start-up wildlife stock to farmers for keeping within their agricultural holdings due to the outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) in cloven-hoofed animals.
A press release issued on Thursday by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism through the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) said that due to suspected FMD cases, the movement of cloven-hoofed animals' permits has been suspended until further notice.
Botswana started the project in February 2022 to prop up agro-tourism. Each applicant will be given no more than five animals per species which are limited to Impala, Gemsbok, Zebra, Eland and Warthog.
The department said that the exercise will continue from April 20, 2023, to Aug. 30, 2024, during the capture season.
Meanwhile, the department will continue to accept applications, assess farms for wildlife readiness, and monitor farmers who have already benefited from the program.
So far the DWNP has distributed a total of 416 animals to 67 beneficiaries across the country. ■
