Botswana to deport 20,000 elephants to Germany

Botswana’s President, Mokgweetsi Masisi, has threatened to deport 20,000 elephants to Germany, saying his country has too many as the countries argue over the import of hunting trophies.

This follows after Germany, one of the largest importers of hunting trophies in the EU, banned trophy hunting and told Botswana to rely on photo tourism instead to generate revenue, pointing out that living animals would do more for the country’s image.

“It is very easy to sit in Berlin and have an opinion about our affairs in Botswana. We are paying the price for preserving these animals for the world,” Masisi said in response.

He added, “We would also like to make such an offer to the Federal Republic of Germany. We won’t take no for an answer, as the country’s 40% of land is dedicated to elephant conservation, which is now becoming critical.”

However, Masisi blamed decades of conservation efforts for the “overpopulation” of elephants and said herds are causing property damage, eating crops, and trampling residents for water.

In the past the elephant population, which nearly doubled between 1996 and 2014 because of strict anti-poaching measures, is too much for the fragile, drought-stricken environment, home to just 2.5 million people, he said.

According to the president, Botswana is home to about 130,000 elephants. With the governing coalition unable to agree, Germany’s ministry continued to “reduce overall imports of hunting trophies of protected species based on species protection measures and, in individual cases, ban them entirely.”

Masisi has invited Germany’s minister, Lemke, to inspect wildlife protection in Botswana. He stressed that his country does more “than any other country in the world” and that a move to ban importing trophies would worsen poverty.

According to a report from POLITICO, Germany’s Federal Ministry for the Environment said that Botswana has “not yet contacted them on this matter”, but that Lemke has “signaled that she will accept Botswana’s invitation if an opportunity arises” to inspect wildlife protection in the southern African country.

The German Association for Animal Welfare called the government’s plans “long overdue” and shared a 2022 report with POLITICO, which argues that such hunts exacerbate existing inequalities within society instead of diminishing them, POLITICO reports read.

Meanwhile, following the elephant situation report between the countries, a resident of Botswana wrote extensively on X (formerly Twitter), explaining the challenges while calling for a responsible approach.

I’m from Botswana, so let me explain 🧵 https://t.co/awW98tdhpT

— fairy 💌 (@meggellithorne) April 4, 2024

Read: United Arab Emirates (UAE) cuts diplomatic ties with Israel

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Mayowa Durosinmi

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M. Durosinmi is a West Africa Weekly investigative reporter covering Politics, Human Rights, Health, and Security in West Africa and the Sahel Region

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