In George Bush's footsteps

By Keith Somerville
BBC, Mokolodi, Botswana

It's a daunting experience meeting an elephant close up and personal. But if George W Bush could do it then I was not going to miss out.

Bush's brief bush trip has put Mokolodi on the map

So soon after the president's visit to the Mokolodi Nature Reserve in Gabarone, Botswana, I stepped up to meet Shaka, Thandi, Sukiri and Seeni, the reserve's four elephants.

These four orphans were rescued from an elephant cull in South Africa's Kruger National Park.

They are young animals and not fully-grown, but when they are standing next to you they are huge.

When I had made their acquaintance, I set off with them for a walking safari in the reserve.

But Mokolodi is not just a gimmicky tourist attraction for hugging cuddly creatures.

The reserve is all about educating the people of Botswana, especially children, about the environment and wildlife.

And it has a strong link to the Botswana Government's policy integrated protection and utilisation of wildlife and the environment through eco-tourism and related projects.

Education

Uttum Corea, one of the Mokolodi Wildlife Foundation's trustees, told me that Botswana's wildlife is a global treasure and a natural resource for Botswana, but most Batswana know little about the animals and their value.

This, he says, is what gave people the idea for Mokolodi.

It was formed in 1991 as an educational and conservation charity with the express aim of teaching the children of Botswana about their natural heritage.

The opening of the reserve to the public in 1994 served two purposes, according to the Mokolodi Foundation:, to contribute to the conservation of species indigenous to the country and to teach people about the importance of the animals.

Now, nine years on, nearly 10,000 Batswana children from pre-school up to university age visit the reserve's education centre annually.

It keeps close links to the local community and the Park manager, Peter Durkin, says that two-thirds of the 80 staff were recruited locally.

The conservation and teaching work of the foundation is funded by charitable donations.

Work

Visitors can stay at the chalets in the reserve, drive round it in their own cars or in the reserve's vehicles, walk with the elephants, visit the orphaned cheetahs and other animals in the sanctuary for injured or orphaned wildlife.

The elephants were rescued from South Africa

The fees for these activities help fund the centre's teaching and the conservation of rare species.

Mokolodi now has nine white rhino - a third of Botswana's entire population. The animals in the reserve have bred successfully are part of a wider programme to repopulate other reserves.

In November 2001, three rhinos from Mokolodi were released back into the wild.

Mokolodi is also involved in the creation of Cheetah Conservation Botswana - a project to translocate cheetahs causing problems for livestock farmers.

Mokolodi's website says that 70% of Botswana's cheetahs live in farming areas rather than reserves and so are at risk of being shot or poisoned by farmers protecting their livestock.

Park Manager Peter Durkin told me that following the publicity generated by the Bush visit, the Botswana Wildlife and National Parks department has asked Mokolodi to take on seven wild dog puppies from a pack considered to be problem animals.

"We are currently caring for them and running some veterinary tests. They will most likely be relocated to the northern part of Botswana to be adopted by another pack inside a national park."

In the future, Mokolodi hopes to expand and develop both its educational and conservation work and to develop its tourist activities.

And Mokolodi has strong support from the Botswana government to develop its work. Its chief patron is Vice-President Ian Khama and its chairman is former President Sir Ketumile Masire.

With such backing and with the international publicity generated by President Bush's visit, Mokolodi hopes to attract more visitors and become a leading centre for conservation education.