Botswana lifts ban on elephant hunting
JOHANNESBURG — Botswana has lifted its ban on elephant hunting in a country with the world’s highest number of the animals, a decision that has brought anger from some wildlife protection groups and warnings of a blow to tourism.
The southern African nation is home to an estimated 130,000 elephants. The lifting of the ban announced last week raised concerns about a possible increase in illegal poaching of elephants for their tusks to supply the ivory trade.
“Expect mass culling next,” the CEO of Wildlife Direct, Paula Kahumbu, said in a post on Twitter, warning that the effect of Botswana’s decision will be felt across Africa.
Botswana has long been a refuge for elephants on a continent where tens of thousands have been killed over the years for their ivory, and the animals long have been a tourist draw. Some had warned of tourism boycotts if the ban was lifted, and even American talk-show host Ellen DeGeneres joined the protest.
Lifting the hunting ban comes amid growing conflicts between humans — particularly farmers — and elephants, the government’s statement said. It said hunting will resume “in an orderly and ethical manner” but does not say how it will be regulated.
The country, with a population of just over 2 million people, suffers some human-wildlife conflict but has more space than many other countries for animals to roam.
The ban was put in place under the previous president, Ian Khama, an outspoken conservationist, but current President Mokgweeti Masisi began to look into it not long after taking office last year. The decision to lift the ban comes months ahead of general elections in October.
Botswana, Namibia, Zimbabwe and South Africa are estimated to have 256,000 elephants.