An Elephantine Dispute

An Elephantine Dispute BOTSWANA The president of Botswana threatened to send 20,000 elephants to Germany if the European country insisted on curbing imports of hunting trophies, as tensions mount over a dispute over nature conservation and the interests of the African nation, the BBC reported. German Environment Minister Steffi Lemke from the Green party said earlier this year that strict limits should be imposed on hunting trophies imports, which make up a significant part of southern African nations’ incomes. But that suggestion angered Botswana. “It’s very easy to sit in Berlin and have an opinion on our own business in Botswana,” the country’s president, Mokgweetsi Masisi, told Germany’s Bild. He explained that conservation efforts had led to an exponential increase in the elephant population and that hunting was necessary to control it. A ban on trophy imports would impoverish his people, he added. In the interview published on Tuesday, Masisi made the “dead serious” offer to ship the pachyderms to force Germans to “live together with the animals, in the way you are trying to tell us to.” He emphasized that he wouldn’t take no for an answer. Over 130,000 elephants – a third of the species worldwide – live in Botswana. The number increases by 6,000 each year. The situation has grown out of hand for Botswanans, the news outlet said. “In some areas, there are more of these beasts than people. They are killing children who get in their path. They trample and eat farmers’ crops leaving Africans hungry,” said Wildlife Minister Dumezweni Mthimkhulu. Since 2019, the country has imposed quotas on trophy-hunting and officials said the practice is monitored through the issuing of licenses, which allow rich Westerners to shoot an animal and bring home its head or skin – in exchange for a few thousand dollars. Germany is the largest importer of these trophies in the European Union. Countries like Botswana and Namibia have argued the money is used for conservation measures and to support local communities. But animal rights groups have described the practice as cruel, calling for its prohibition. Berlin denied being informed of Masisi’s elephantine gift and insisted on ensuring the sustainability of the trophy hunting trade. Share this story