In response to a dispute over hunting trophies, Botswana’s president wanted to send 20,000 elephants to Germany. The situation in his country is dramatic.
Following disagreements with Germany over the possible restriction of the import of hunting trophies, Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi has announced that he will have 20,000 elephants shot.
“As you know, Botswana offered Germany 20,000 of our elephants in April this year, with the greatest respect,” Masisi told the “Bild” newspaper. He said he had “received no response so far” from the German government. His country, like southern Africa as a whole, is experiencing “the worst drought in 50 years,” the president said. “Our people are starving. The elephants are in danger of dying. If our people are starving, we have a duty to feed them. And I can tell you frankly: you also eat elephants.”
The background to this is a debate that heated up in the spring about the possible further restriction of the import of hunting trophies. Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) is considered to be a supporter and has thus drawn criticism from representatives of some African countries, particularly Botswana. In the wake of the resentment, Botswana’s president announced that he wanted to have 20,000 elephants sent to Germany in protest, but this did not happen.
Following a prolonged drought, several countries in southern Africa are currently on the brink of a serious hunger crisis. Neighbouring countries such as Zimbabwe and Namibia have already begun systematically killing wild animals. According to the governments, this helps to relieve the pressure on water reserves and provide meat for thousands of people. Botswana is currently home to the largest elephant population in the world, and there have recently been increasing conflicts between humans and animals. President Masisi initially left it open when the culling of the first animals would begin.
