The Ministry of Environment and Tourism faces mounting public ridicule and allegations of deploying ‘scare tactics’ after issuing a misleading public communiqué claiming that all pangolins in Botswana had been fitted with electronic tracking devices.
The startling claim, which circulated widely on social media, has been dismissed by the ministry’s own wildlife officials as an embarrassing bureaucratic blunder, mirroring the hallmarks of an intentional misinformation campaign.
Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) Director Moemi Batshabang told the Sunday Standard that tracking the country’s entire wild pangolin population is an impossibility.
‘It is not possible for all pangolins in Botswana to be tracked since they are not captive-bred,’ Batshabang stated. The director admitted he was completely unaware of the letter’s existence before being contacted by the press, subsequently referring investigators to the statement’s author.
Mokwaledi Mafa, a Wildlife Officer within the Ministry, openly admitted to the error, confirming that the wording of the official communique was deeply flawed.
‘Not all pangolins are tracked as the letter had mistakenly stated,’ Mafa said. ‘It was a mistake… Not all of them are tracked, and it is not possible to track all the pangolins-it is close to impossible.’
According to Mafa, the ministry had intended to state that satellite tracking devices are selectively deployed only on specific pangolins that have been intercepted and seized from illicit wildlife traffickers. These devices are used to monitor the highly sensitive mammals post-release to evaluate their survival rates and movement patterns in the wild.
‘Pangolins are very delicate animals, and most of them are unable to survive after they are released into the wild, hence we are tracking them,’ Mafa explained.
He disclosed that confiscated pangolins are frequently rescued from severe trauma and compromising environments, noting that traffickers routinely conceal them in bags or vehicle trunks. In some instances, poachers have even attempted to feed the strictly insectivorous mammals inappropriate diets like cabbages and soft porridge. Mafa emphasized that rescued pangolins must undergo rigorous health and stress assessments before they can be safely re-wilded.
Despite a 2016 decision by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to implement a total global ban on the commercial trade of all eight pangolin species, Botswana remains a critical node in the illicit network.
Professor Alexis Kriel, Chairperson of the African Pangolin Working Group (APWG), confirmed that the illegal trade continues to aggressively plague Southern Africa despite stringent international protections. Kriel revealed that syndicates are actively smuggling pangolins across borders into South Africa from neighboring nations, including Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique.
Law enforcement records show that several Batswana nationals have been arrested both historically and recently in South Africa after being intercepted in possession of the contraband mammals.
At the time of press, the Ministry of Environment and Tourism had still not issued an official, corrected retraction to the public regarding the non-existent nationwide tracking program.