Killing elephants at all just seems wrong. Is this at all justified or is it simply an effort to pander for votes?
5
I’d like to see some wildlife protection agency devote itself to outing every single hunter. Remember what happened to the dentist who killed Cecil the lion?
12
Conservation is the careful use of a natural resource so as to maintain the resource forever. Elephants are a natural resource, they provide meat and ivory and ecosystem services when populations are managed for both ecological and social carrying capacity. Botswana simply decided that they have exceeded capacity and need to reduce the populations. Rather than just shoot a bunch of elephants from a helicopter they want to promote the ethical, scientific, hunting of excess elephants to provide meat and income for local residents, and also funding to control poaching.
5
Who sees these creatures and thinks, “Boy, I’d love to kill one of those!”
15
It’s amazing how Governments always target the smart ones who can’t be replaced. Nothing new here except that once the elephants are gone Botswana will be ripe for the taking. Anyone who hunts or allows elephant hunting will eventually reap their just rewards. May God have mercy on their immortal souls.
7
All of the commenters here could benefit from a good talk with the Sans (or Bushmen) who have been displaced repeatedly by our western needs and values. Talk to them about why they want to hunt elephants. Not everything is trophy hunting. Some of it is tradition and survival. We westerners are so self-righteous.
2
I don’t know where you’re getting most of your information, but the Kalahari Bushmen do not hunt elephants, they primarily hunt antelopes. And it’s actually the government of Botswana that’s persecuting its first inhabitants/indigenous subsistence hunter-gatherers. I do concede, however, that the Botswanan government is committing these atrocities against the San people in collaboration with Western “trophy” hunters/commercial poachers and the De Beers diamond corporation.
See https://theecologist.org/2016/aug/16/botswana-shooting-bushmen-helicopters-wrong
11
Despicable. This is the result of shallow, pathetic animal killers paying off corrupt officials. Wild animals dont belong to anyone, those who live near them should be their stewards as fellow beings who share the planet. Elephants are such amazing animals, too bad the humans involved in this are not. There isn't anything easier than killing animals, trophy hunters are such utter cowards, low crawling shallow , wretched filth. This is not conservation , it is ego and greed.
15
What a terrible, terrible decision.
16
Funny, nobody complains about the butchering of primate groups,their closest relatives to near extinction for bush meat ,also a delicacy,and for trinkets like paws and heads and feet.
Maybe not in the US. But honestly it's hard to get Americans to pay attention to anything but themselves.
11
can we please get rid of the stupid euphemisms? there is no such thing as "hunting" elephants. there is elephant killing. and there are also other euphemistic expressions that are equally disgusting - culling, harvesting, etc. fishing is also on my list. how hard is it to fool a fish. if they are so smart why aren't we protecting them? they certainly aren't a threat to any populations i am aware of. let the elephants alone and deal with the people. they are increasingly the only major problem the planet has to deal with.
18
“Extensive consultation with all the stakeholders....”
Except the elephants.
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The following is from the 1/26/18 NYT article "Elephants Are Very Scared of Bees. That Could Save Their Lives”:
"In recent years, researchers and advocates have persuaded farmers to use the elephant’s fear of bees as a potential fence line to protect crops. By stringing beehives every 20 meters — alternating with fake hives — a team of researchers in Africa has shown that they can keep 80 percent of elephants away from farmland."
"In Africa, Save the Elephants, a nonprofit conservationist group, builds wire and beehive fences at a cost of about $1,000 for a one-acre farm — roughly one-fifth the cost of an electrified fence, said Dr. King, who also heads the human-elephant coexistence program for the charity. The farm gets protection against elephants and a modest new source of income from a twice-a-year honey harvest."
"The fences also serve as a psychological barrier for the farmers, making them think twice before slashing and burning more forest for farmland, she said."
15
Elephants are intelligent, majestic, and, to some at least, sacred beings. This is a very sad decision. I wish tourism without hunting could benefit Botswanans more.
13
This is heart breaking. At a time when the world needs to be taking more positive steps to protect these animals and other species, Botswana does this. I have a trip planned there later this year and I feel like I must cancel. One of the primary reasons that I chose Botswana is because they have had a hunting ban in place. We are failing these animals and it makes me sick to my stomach.
20
As the elephants go, so go we.
7
This might seem like a stupid question but Why don't they move entire herds of elephant (family units) to other countries in Africa that can accommodate them and have had their own populations diminished?
5
@MRK8ING, elephant (and other wildlife) populations in other parts of Africa have diminished because there is rampant poaching. That would still be a threat to any elephants that were "moved". Also, elephants are very intelligent and have deep social ties in large family groups that can include dozens of animals. It would not be possible or humane to just move them. The best option, if elephants could be protected from poachers throughout Africa, would be to connect natural areas to create natural migration routes. Alas, as with everything else, humans are a problem in the way of doing that.
6
@MRK8ING Elephants are real big. You can't just stick them in a cage or load them in a truck. In any case they reproduce faster than you could remove them, and who would pay? Nowhere in Africa do they wish for more elephants.
The utter disregard of environmental issues and critical need to protect the remaining biodiversity on the planet, by political players intent on gaining power, wealth, and votes, is on the rise and led by our own fearful leader, Donald Trump. Japan has lifted their ban on whaling. Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and South Africa are all calling for an end to the international ban on ivory sales. Trump has opened protected lands to exploitation by mining and fossil fuel interests. These people don't care if every species is wiped out so long as they reap financial benefit from it.
If world citizens outside have the power to hurt these countries by boycott or influence, now is the time. To believe governments will act, other than in the interest of self-aggrandizement of its most powerful members, is a fools's hope.
15
Hunting elephants has no practical and reasonable purpose. Why should these majestic animals die so someone can put a trophy on the wall or sell its tusks?
I am very surprised, as I viewed Botswana as one of the more enlightened countries.
7
"I viewed Botswana as one of the more enlightened countries."
@Barbara, it was, under Khama. I guess not so much anymore.
3
How stupid can they be. There is no logical reason to hunt elephants!
21
An African wildlife safari is on my bucket list but Botswana is now definitely OFF the list. There must be a better way to manage human/elephant coexistence than by selling the right to murder these majestic sentient animals to rich white guys.
52
@Glen Coffman
I have been to Botswana several times and have loved sitting for hours watching elephants. Elephants running down a hill into the Zambezi River! Elephants rolling around in the mud! Elephants walking through a camp in dry weather and drinking from a birth bath! An elephant once putting his trunk on my husband's shoulder! Each encounter has been special. But never again to Botswana now that hunting has been condoned.
15
@Glen Coffman, on the one hand, I strongly disapprove of trophy hunting and agree with your sentiment that there has to be a better way than "selling the right to murder these majestic sentient animals to rich white guys." On the other hand, Botswana up to this point has managed its wildlife better than just about any country in Africa (or, for that matter, anywhere else). Other African countries with still-sizable elephant populations - Tanzania, Zimbabwe and South Africa come to mind - have not done as good a job protecting their wildlife.
If a protest boycott could work, I am all for it. But doesn't punishing Botswana for the current shortsighted decision threaten or ignore its long-term commitment to wildlife up to now? Plus, where are the alternative destinations that have better managed or protected their wildlife?
I have been to Botswana twice - the experience is indescribable. I have also been to three of its neighboring countries - and found Botswana unparalleled for viewing wildlife. There are a lot of people there, including but not limited to those in the safari industry, who are committed to protecting wildlife populations. Seems like it'd be a shame to throw them under the bus because of the shortsighted decision of the current administration.
2
We were planning a trip to Botswana next year to view the elephants. Not any longer. How lame is it to kill an animal with a high powered rifle, for fun and trophy?
39
@DA, you should still go. Botswana still has more elephants than any other country in the world. Are there any countries with remaining wild elephant populations that do not allow trophy hunting and have kept poaching under control? If tourists stop going, how does that support those still arguing for conservation? As much as elephants and other animals deserve to be left alone for their own sake (and they absolutely do), the practical argument for conservation is a lot stronger if one can also point to the benefits of tourism.
2
Why is hunting the only reported solution to this problem? Won't this also coincide with a resurgence in the hunting of elephants for tusks? This is such a terrible idea given the great strides made to preserve this species and the work of so many activities to dissuade the killing of rhinos and elephants for tusks.
17
@RP Hunting has proven to be the only effective conservation tool. If you have other methods and can implement them there are many African countries that would love to hear from you. Remember, hunting is conservation.
1
Disgusting, sickening, opportunistic, politically motivated, short-term, and cruel...demonstrating complete lack of imagination. There are creative solutions for rural areas and high populations. Botswana could be the conservation, scientific research and eco-tourist capital of Africa. Instead, sanctioned slaughter of unique, intelligent creatures as if they were vermin. The world won’t stand for it.
22
Now that Botswana has lifted the hunting ban on elephants, nearly all hunters will be from the western world and far east, mostly China. Two questions : There are many countries that have imposed ban on ivory and its products that prohibit in the possession, trading, etc of such products. There are airlines that do not allow the carriage of ivory and its products. How are these two criteria going to be addressed ? Meaning, if airlines refuse to carry the ivory out of Botswana and the western countries that have imposed ban on ivory, how are they going to allow ivory into their countries ?
5
They will continue to smuggle it in shipping containers like they always have.
3
@Jay No one needs to salvage tusks to hunt. As long as all the meat is used, (and it always is) the hunt is ethical.
@Jay
As far as I know, most trophy hunters come from the U.S. and Europe, with some from the Middle East and a few other countries. Typically, there are still exceptions to the ivory bans that allow importing hunted wildlife. And one can always find an airline to ship the fruits of the sordid trade in dead animals. Unfortunately, greed has no end and money still talks.
1
Rural areas of Botswana increasingly tangle with elephants who trample and eat their crops?
Give us numbers please.
Okay, the current population of humans is just south of 2.4 million people. In 1980, it was 1 million. In 1960, it was a tad over half a million.
Maybe the elephants need to cull the humans who are encroaching on what's probably been elephant territory for millions of years.
Elephant numbers are 1/10th of what they used to be, the humans have quadrupled or more in just over half a century, and somehow the solution is culling the largest land mammals on the planet so humans can have more room?
I'm tired of these arguments for 3rd world countries continuing their staggering population growth, as though they're living in an era before antibiotics and vaccines when producing lots of babies was necessary just to achieve a steady state. This should have ended decades ago.
27
Why are wild animals so often described as 'problematic' to humans, when it is we who are living on their lands?
33
@Lisa You eat food raised on land that deprives wildlife of habitat. What do you propose to do? What of the land underneath your house or apartment?
1
Recommend offering aid to farmers and boycotting Botswana if hunting resumes.
19
"...to grow at a rate that is unsustainable..."? Populations are a fragment of what they were just a century ago.
The largest living land mammals, a remnant held over from the many elephant species of the last 50,000,000 years, must be protected.
21
@Boaz
Why the inability to support the old elephant population?
In 1950 human population in Botswana was approx 400,000, as of 2019 it’s about 2.4 million. A 6 fold increase. Therein lies the rub. Since I was born in 1951 human population worldwide has about tripled , or a bit more. Like termites , rats, lemmings but more dangerous humans are filling up the planet.
31
I grew up in India and Africa, and I adore elephants. But I’m also fully aware of the tension between elephants and humans. I regularly go game viewing in India and I have family that farm in elephant country.
Elephant hunting is banned in India and the government has done a pretty good job of keeping poaching under control. So elephant populations have surged. Farmers have to deal with elephants destroying their crops. And the ban on hunting has resulted in elephants losing much of their fear of humans. Elephant-caused deaths are increasing.
I remember clearly the fear of being on a trek on the periphery of one of South India’s forest reserves and hearing from a villager that elephants were ahead. Locals on foot have to deal with this fear every day, Kristin Davis doesn’t.
A story: many years ago, my wife was trekking in the South Indian jungle on the border of two states when she came upon a human skeleton with some coins among the bones. On inquiry, she was told it was the remains of a local man who worked as a porter smuggling liquor across state lines to avoid excise taxes. Elephants had taken a liking to the liquor and sometimes ambushed and killed the porters and stole their loads. Because of the way the man had died, no one would take the money he had been carrying in his pockets.
This is a complicated issue that can’t be solved by Hollywood actors signaling their virtue.
9
@me A couple of years ago, at a crowded religious festival in India, a tame elephant got spooked by the crowds and bolted. Her mahout (trainer/rider) tried to calm her, but in her fear she turned on him and literally tore him apart. People around the world cheered for the elephant, hypothesizing that her mahout had ill-treated her. I’ve met many mahouts, and like all humans, there are good ones and bad ones. Theirs is a brutal life, filled with danger and hard physical work. But the majority of them treat their animals well.
I’ll wager that you have never known anything but the comfort of life in the rich parts of the world. Until you have some inkling of the lives of others less fortunate, or a way to compensate them for the difficulty of their lives, the side you’re on has no say in the matter. End the virtue signaling.
3
@Shiv - I couldn't agree more. I was in northern Botswana last summer and the poverty and frustration of the local population re: elephants was something I will never forget. We shouldn't put our western values on the people of Botswana. Even if we think we know better. That's what got us in the mess in the first place.
2
@Shiv
"End the virtue signaling"? and "I'll wager that you have never known anything but the comfort of life...." is an easy way to dismiss intelligent dialogue over this issue. The fact is that we as a species are not doing enough to care for and preserve other life on this planet. If you haven't read it, I highly recommend reading - at least skimming over - the UN"s recent report on the biodiversity of species. It is heart breaking. It cries out for everyone on this planet to take steps to minimize their environmental impact. And, as someone who knows a thing or two about elephants and has travelled in third world countries, I can tell you that it is possible to share land with elephants - or any species - if you are willing to educate yourself and modify your behaviour. Many issues with elephants arise from a fundamental misunderstanding of their behaviours and an unwillingness to respect their needs. That applies to your example by the way. There is no such thing as a tame elephant. What you mean really is a "broken" elephant. Elephants - like lions and bears - aren't meant to be "trained" or ridden or used as party tricks or for hard labour. They are also not here for us to own. Elephants are too intelligent and sensitive to be treated as chattel.
It is human arrogance that makes us think we can dominate other species and use them for profit. If we keep thinking like this, then the UN's prediction of the extinction of a million species will inevitably come true.
5
I am grateful that I saw this beautiful place in 2017; now sadly I will not be returning. The new Botswana government is all about exploitation of its wildlife, and the influence of China is seen on a vastly increased scale. The country resisted corruption for so long, but no more. Ethical wildlife tourists, of which there are many, will now be faced with the need to speak with their travel money. Magical Kenya - I’ll be back soon.
31
Just as there are wolves and farmer conflicts in the US, there is a way for the farmers to live with the wolves and vice versa. There are ways to drastically reduce the elephant and farmer conflict in Botswana without allowing the hunting of these gentle, empathetic dachyderms.
IMO, this is nothing more than a money decision for Botswana lifting the ban on hunting elephants. May tourists boycott Botswana until the country sees what an asset eco-tourism is.
33
@swiegman
Agree, and other countries need to stop allowing the importation of elephant ivory too.
2
@swiegman You don't live with wolves or elephants, try listening to those who do.
1
How in the year 2019 is our dwindling natural world being toyed with still ? More elephants - less people!
24
Ethical values are a mile wide and an inch deep. The people who become leaders and influence makers are rarely people who compromise or have any real depth of empathy beyond what’s put on paper.
Mankind is “capable” of solving most the challenges of the day. However, there is almost no appetite any more for patience, inconvenience and delayed gratification. No commitment for a future beyond our lifespan, quarterly report or time in office.
9
We’re causing the sixth mass extinction. That’s who we are apparently.
21
Botswana is not the only nation with a rapacious and arrogant view on natural resources and the environment. The USA policy on the environment is equally appalling and barbaric.
Botswana is a poor African country, although wealthier than its peers. Poor countries are not going to prioritize wildlife. Then you add China with its demand for the ivory and body parts of rare and endangered species and you have a disaster. Africa will lose its big animals someday because of its poverty.
One will probably have to go to enclosed and climate controlled zoos and wildlife retreats in western nations to see an elephant some day.
Human beings destructive. Destroy the environment and everything good around them.
13
This is appalling. Without doubt, the most dangerous and diabolical animal on planet Earth is MAN.
“Nature’s great masterpiece, an elephant; the only harmless great thing.” — John Donne
37
Wildlife preservation and farming are always on conflict.
What governments fail to address are the lack of incentive to: preserve habitats while giving farmers the conditions to co-exist with wild animals.
Allowing elephants to be hunt for trophy without protecting them from poachers will have disastrous consequences.
It is sad that farmers think this can help them. How? Is the government helping them in way?
12