Botswana is set to engage Angola to find a lasting solution to the management of their elephant herds, President Mokgweetsi Masisi said on Tuesday.
Addressing journalists upon arrival from a wildlife summit held in neighbouring Zimbabwe, Masisi said Botswana and Angola intended to collaborate on improving wildlife conservation efforts and attract elephants back in Angola from Botswana.
Masisi said as part of efforts to reduce the elephant population in Botswana, he would soon be travelling to Angola to engage his counterpart President João Lourenco on the Kavango-Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KAZA).
The two leaders are expected to discuss, among others, the opening up of elephant migration routes between the countries, both members of KAZA. Other KAZA members are Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Masisi revealed that he would request Angola to de-mine the southern part of the neighbouring country so that elephants can roam freely.
Many elephants and other wildlife were forced to flee from Angola to Botswana during a civil war in the former.
Botswana, which has the highest number of elephants on the continent, believes that it is time to relocate some to Angola because there peace has now returned to that country.
KO/jn/APA