some senior members of the disciplined forces are said to have found a niche market for the ivory confiscated from poachers. Investigations unearthed by this publication have revealed that the ‘Shoot-to-kill’ policy adopted by government has given some unscrupulous anti-poaching officers a chance to engage in the illicit ivory trade. Another issue that has led to some junior officers to get involved in the trade is that some senior officers are used to confiscating wildlife trophies which they never report to the police. The illicit trade is said to be booming, especially among some members of the Botswana Defence Force (BDF) who are mostly engaged in anti-poaching and spend many months in the jungle.The well organised syndicate is said to be involving both commissioned and non-commissioned officers with junior officers doing the dirty work and rewarded generously. After eliminating the poachers whose bodies are said to be normally buried inside the parks, the unscrupulous officers will then cut the ivory tasks into pieces for easy packaging. The officers are said to have developed a syndicate which ensures the ivory is taken to buyers well in time. The ivory trophy is said to fetch around US$200 000 (P2.4million). “The cut tasks…