African country Botswana threatens to send 20,000 elephants to Germany

Germany demanded the ban on elephant poaching

In Botswana, large numbers of elephants cause crop damage

Gaborone (Botswana) – Mokgweetsi Masisi , Botswana’s President, has threatened to send 20,000 elephants to Germany amid a dispute over the import of hunting trophies. Earlier this year, Germany’s Environment Ministry raised the possibility of stricter limits on the import of hunting trophies over poaching concerns, but a ban on the import of hunting trophies would only impoverish Botswanans, Mokgweetsi Masisi told. Masisi said that the people of Germany should experience living together with elephants as the German Environment Minister has advised us to live with elephants. We want to visit Germany with an elephant. We hope they will not refuse this gift. President Masisi says, the number of elephants in Botswana continues to grow. Herds of elephants were causing damage to property, eating crops and trampling residents, Masisi told the German paper. This is causing Africans to starve.

10,000 elephants were to be released in Britain !

During the elections in 2019, the ruling party of Britain had included in its manifesto the intention to impose a ban on hunting elephants in other countries. In response, Botswana’s Minister of Wildlife, Mthimkhulu, had threatened Britain. He had said, “We send 10,000 elephants to Hyde Park in London. Then people there will know how it feels to live with elephants. In some parts of Botswana, there are more elephants than people. Along with crops, they are crushing children too.”

In Botswana, the Government imposes fees for hunting elephants

About a third of the world’s elephant population is in Botswana, with their numbers exceeding 130,000 here. This figure is more than four times the number of elephants in India. Many people, especially from Western countries like Germany, come to Botswana to hunt elephants. The Botswana Government charges them for this purpose. This money is used for the local community’s development. After hunting elephants, foreign individuals take their tusks and hides back to their countries. Many animal rights organisations oppose this system and demand a ban on it.

Editorial Perspective

Elephant population has increased in some countries due to ecological imbalance, while in others they are on the verge of extinction. The time has come for every country to think why this situation has arisen !