Botswana threatens to send Germany 20,000 elephants

BOTSWANA has threatened to send 20,000 elephants to Germany in a row over the import of hunting trophies.

President Mokgweetsi Masisi said that his demand that Germany take vast numbers of the animals was “no joke”.

“We want our elephants to be able to run free, the German weather is bad enough for them,” he told Germany’s Bild newspaper.

Botswana has been angered by reports that Berlin is considering banning the import of hunting trophies from protected species. Last month, the country’s wildlife minister similarly threatened to send 10,000 elephants to Hyde Park so that British people could “have a taste of living alongside them” amid a bill to ban imports of hunting trophies from protected species.

The Private Members’ Bill is currently making its way through the

House of Commons, with Rebecca Pow, the Environment Minister, signalling her support for the legislation.

It is unclear why Botswana has voiced its anger with Germany now. Germany’s environment ministry, run by Green politician Steffi Lemke, announced in 2022 that it wanted to tighten laws around hunting trophies. However, the ministry has yet to present a draft bill, and it is unclear whether one would find majority support.

Nonetheless, the governments of Botswana and Namibia have raised concerns recently that a ban would harm their economies and exacerbate issues with burgeoning elephant populations.

Mr Masisi said that elephants were trampling through farmers’ crops and even posing a risk to people’s lives.

“It is easy to sit in Berlin and have an opinion on our affairs in Botswana, but we pay the price for keeping these animals for the world,” he said.