Supporting human-wildlife coexistence in Botswana
An encounter with an elephant is not something most of us would consider on our daily commute. But in the Okavango Delta panhandle in Botswana, sharing your walking route to school with an elephant is a reality. One supplier we work with in Africa called Natural Selection has teamed up with partners including EcoExist and The Okavango Community Trust to come up with a solution.
They have launched the brand new Elephant Express buses. These buses now transport youngsters safely to school, leaving the elephants to walk their favourite paths.
They provide the perfect solution to a problem that had been bothering residents in the area for a while. The panhandle in Botswana is punctuated by schools, villages and clinics, and it also happens to be a stretch that’s used heavily by elephants. This initiative is the first of its kind in the Delta. The buses are adorned with beautiful illustrations of these majestic beasts and equipped with educational material, so they relay the crucial message that we can find ways to live alongside wildlife and mutually benefit. During the school day, the buses are also used to transport clinic patients and doctors.
How you can help
Natural Selection is a group of owner-operated safari camps and lodges in Botswana, South Africa & Namibia. One property in the collection is called Mapula Lodge located in the North-Eastern region of the Okavango Delta in Botswana. Every guest that stays at Mapula Lodge will be directly supporting the Elephant Express project. Outposts Travel Africa can tailor-make your holiday to Botswana to include a stay at Mapula Lodge. Please visit our Botswana destination page for more info on the country or contact us.
Botswana Destination Page
