Botswana is threatening to gift Germany 20,000 elephants as the German environment ministry announced its intention to tighten regulations on importing taxidermied elephants, known as “hunting trophies,” due to the “alarming loss of biodiversity.”
Botswana’s President, Mokgweetsi Masisi, told the German newspaper “Bild” that Germans should “have a taste of living alongside them, the way you are trying to tell us to,” adding, “This is not a joke.”
He also stated that restricting imports would impoverish his country’s citizens and argued that hunting is a method of controlling the soaring elephant population.
Botswana, home to 1/3 of the worldwide elephant population, had previously donated 8,000 elephants to Angola in an attempt to manage their growing population
Botswana banned hunting in 2014 but reinstated it in 2019 under pressure from local communities. According to the country’s president, herds of elephants were damaging property and crops and trampling residents.
The country has since implemented annual hunting quotas, stating that they offer a reliable source of income for locals and reduce the temptation to hunt other wild animals.
According to a 2021 report by Humane Society International, Germany is the largest importer of taxidermied elephants in the EU. Australia, France, and Belgium are among the countries that have banned the trade in taxidermied “hunting trophies.”
What is fyi.news?
