Botswana threatens to send 20,000 elephants to Germany
The president of Botswana has issued a warning that 20,000 elephants could be relocated to Germany amid a disagreement over conservation practices.
Earlier this year, Germany’s environment ministry proposed stricter regulations on importing hunting trophies from animals.
Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi conveyed to German media that such measures would adversely affect the livelihoods of people in his country.
He emphasized that the elephant population had surged due to conservation efforts and argued that controlled hunting was necessary to maintain balance.
Addressing the German newspaper Bild, Mr. Masisi urged Germans to coexist with animals as they advocate, stressing the seriousness of the situation.
Botswana, which is home to approximately one-third of the global elephant population – exceeding 130,000 individuals – faces challenges such as property damage, crop consumption, and endangering residents due to elephant herds.
Mr. Masisi mentioned Botswana’s past action of giving 8,000 elephants to neighboring Angola and offering hundreds more to Mozambique as part of population control efforts.
He expressed a desire to extend a similar gesture to Germany, emphasizing his insistence on the matter.
Animal rights organizations contend that trophy hunting, which involves killing an animal and taking its head or skin as a trophy, is inhumane and should be outlawed.
Germany, according to a 2021 report by the Humane Society International, is the European Union’s primary importer of African elephant trophies and hunting trophies in general.
Botswana banned the practice in 2014 but lifted the restrictions in 2019 after facing pressure from local communities.
The country now issues annual hunting quotas, saying that it provides a good source of income for local people, so they are less tempted to poach wild animals, and that it is licensed and strictly controlled.
It has previously considered using elephants for pet food.
A spokeswoman for the environment ministry in Berlin told the AFP news agency that Botswana had not raised any concerns with Germany on the matter.
“In light of the alarming loss of biological diversity, we have a special responsibility to do everything to ensure the import of hunting trophies is sustainable and legal,” she said.
The ministry, however, remained in talks with African countries affected by import rules, including Botswana, the spokeswoman said.
Australia, France, and Belgium are among the countries that have banned the trade of hunting trophies.
In March, UK MPs voted to support a ban on importing hunting trophies, but the legislation has further scrutiny to pass before becoming law.
A pledge to ban the import of hunting trophies was included in the Conservatives’ 2019 general election manifesto.
Botswana, along with its neighbors Zimbabwe and Namibia, has also argued that it should be allowed to sell its stockpiles of ivory so it can earn money from its huge numbers of elephants.
Countries in East Africa, as well as animal rights groups, have opposed this saying it would encourage poaching.
