Botswana threatens to send 20K elephants to Germany

No country in the world has more elephants than Botswana, and now the African nation is threatening to send 20,000 of the animals to Germany. — Image credit: Getty Images

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No other country in the world has more elephants than Botswana, and now the African nation is threatening to send 20,000 of the animals to Germany. This stems from a recent potential policy change proposed by the German government that would place stricter limits on trophy hunting imports due to poaching concerns.

Just a decade ago, over a third of Botswana’s population was living in poverty. However, the country experienced an economic turnaround in the subsequent years and is now listed as an upper-middle-income nation, with the experts suggesting it could reach high-income by 2036.

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This transformation has occurred thanks in part to the millions of dollars that the more impoverished, rural regions of Botswana receive every year from trophy hunters.

Botswana had previously implemented a ban on this practice in 2014, but reversed that decision back in 2019 amid overpopulation concerns. The country is now home to more than 130,000 elephants, but experts say it can only ecologically support about 25,000 to 50,000.

Government officials in Botswana assert trophy hunting is bringing in much needed revenue while keeping the elephant populations that roam across 40% of the country in check. According to the nation’s president, Mokgweetsi Masisi, should Germany move ahead with tougher bans on trophy hunting, it could result in increased poverty and locals being left to deal with more elephants than they can handle.

“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,” said Masisi, adding that the German people should try to “live together with the animals, in the way you are trying to tell us to.”

This would not be the first time Botswana has tried to offload some of its elephants to other nations, previously offering 8,000 to Angola and 500 to Mozambique. With Masisi declaring he “won’t take no for answer” in regards to his latest offer of 20,000 of the elephants to Germany, it still remains to be seen if any will actually make their way to Europe.

Zachary Hill (Video Editor) and Ali Caldwell (Motion Graphics Designer) contributed to this report.

Tags: Botswana, Germany, Wildlife

[Jack Alymer]

20 THOUSAND ELEPHANTS MAY SOON BE stampeding their way to GERMANY.

Right now this massive herd is just an idle threat – from a country with more than 100-thousand of the hungry animals.

We’re talking about botswana.

WHILE RICH IN WILDLIFE, MORE THAN A THIRD OF ITS HUMAN POPULATION WAS LIVING IN POVERTY JUST A DECADE AGO.

RECENTLY THOUGH, BOTSWANA HAS TRANSFORMED INTO AN UPPER-MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRY, AND ECONOMIC IMPROVEMENTS ARE ON TRACK TO CONTINUE FOR AT LEAST THE NEXT DECADE.

THAT’S THANKS IN PART TO THE MILLIONS OF DOLLARS IT RECEIVES EVERY YEAR TO ALLOW BIG GAME TROPHY HUNTING.

SO, LET’S TALK ABOUT THE OBVIOUS ELEPHANT IN THE ROOM.

NO COUNTRY IN THE WORLD HAS MORE ELEPHANTS THAN BOTSWANA.

OVER 130,000 OF THEM, IN AN AREA EXPERTS SAY CAN ONLY ECOLOGICALLY SUPPORT ABOUT 25 TO 50 THOUSAND.

TROPHY HUNTING IS ONE OF THE WAYS THE COUNTRY IS BRINGING IN MUCH NEEDED REVENUE WHILE KEEPING THE ELEPHANT POPULATIONS IN CHECK.

EVEN THOUGH ANIMAL RIGHTS GROUPS ARGUE HUNTING IS CRUEL TO ANIMALS REGARDLESS OF THEIR NUMBERS.

SO WHEN GERMAN GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS SUGGESTED STRICTER LIMITS ON TROPHY HUNTING IMPORTS – STEMMING FROM POACHING CONCERNS….THAT TRIGGERED BOTSWANA’S PRESIDENT.

HE CLAIMS ANY CHANGE TO THE CURRENT POLICY WOULD CAUSE A VARIETY OF NEGATIVE EFFECTS THROUGHOUT BOTSWANA

CITING ISSUES FROM POVERTY TO THE LOSS OF TOURISM REVENUE.

NOT TO MENTION LOCALS WOULD BE LEFT TO DEAL WITH MORE ELEPHANTS THEN THEY CAN HANDLE.

[Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi]

“I wish there would be as horrified when elephants more and more hurt people. I find it unfathomable that you’d be horrified by the protection of one’s livelihood, rural poor people who have allowed 40% of the country to be set aside for conservation.”

[Jack Alymer]

SO THAT’S WHY THEY’RE THREATENING TO SEND THOUSANDS OF ELEPHANTS TO GERMANY.

AND AS ALARMING AS IT MAY SOUND – IT’S NOT THE FIRST TIME BOTSWANA HAS TRIED TO OFFLOAD ELEPHANTS TO OTHER NATIONS.

GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS SAY THE COUNTRY HAS ALREADY OFFERED 8,000 TO ANGOLA AND ANOTHER 500 TO MOZAMBIQUE.

NOW, THEY BELIEVE ITS GERMANY’S TURN TO PITCH IN.

BOTSWANA’S PRESIDENT CLAIMS HE WON’T TAKE NO FOR ANSWER,
SO THE NEXT SHIPMENT OF ELEPHANTS COULD SOON BE ON ITS WAY TO BERLIN.