South Africa: Botswana Threatens to Send 20,000 Elephants to Germany

BOTSWANA: Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi has warned that he might send 20,000 elephants to Germany as a response to a disagreement about importing hunting trophies.

The African leader criticized the German government, especially the environment ministry, for trying to prohibit the import of hunting trophies.

He argued that this ban was unreasonable given Botswana’s perceived problem of having too many elephants.

Earlier this year, Germany’s environment ministry, led by Steffi Lemke of the Green party, suggested that they might impose stricter restrictions on the import of hunting trophies because of worries about poaching.

Masisi told the media that Germany’s Green party could learn to cohabitate with elephants without hurting them.

Masisi said that it is very easy to sit in Berlin and have an opinion about Botswana’s affair, adding that Germans should attempt to “live together with the animals” in the way they are telling others.

According to Masisi, Botswana’s elephant population has grown to around 130,000.

To address the country’s perceived overpopulation of elephants, Botswana has already offered 8,000 elephants to Angola and another 500 to Mozambique, Maisisi added.

He said that Mozambique had yet to collect the elephants.

The President said that elephants were causing problems by trampling people to death, eating crops, and damaging villages. He argued that a ban on the import of hunting trophies would inly make life more difficult for people in Botswana.

Masisi claimed that Botswana does more to protect wildlife “than any other country in the world” and invited German minister to come see the wildlife protection efforts in his country for herself.

In March, the country had warned that they might send 10,000 elephants to London’s Hyde Park as a protest against a possible ban on safari hunters importing trophies.

Botswana prohibited trophy hunting in 2014, but in 2019, they lifted the ban due to pressure from local communities. Now the country issues annual hunting quotas.

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