Botswana will be lifting the suspension for the elephant hunting. It is no stranger to the media and its readers how the hunting of elephant horns has made millions and also the rhino horns.
After the announcement, 23 May, Wednesday, of the Botswana government, “the lifting of the hunting suspension in an orderly and ethical manner” a decision that seemed more inevitable and an enormous blow for the country’s tourism and conservation reputation. A decision had to be finalised on any hunting of elephants.
The Botswana Democratic Party (DMP) had since been in power with a record of 46% of voters supporting the election. Lifting the ban was in hopes that Masisi will regain the rural votes that he desperately needed when the election begin in October.
Botswana is home to the most overpopulated elephants in the region, and 130 000 living in South Africa. The first ban happened in 2014, when at that time Ian Khana who was the President decided to lift up the banning of the hunting of elephants that populated local houses. The government has allowed the sports hunters to kill the elephants. The number of elephants in the continent have seemingly dropped and have left the country with a remarked 30 percent between 2007-2014, calculated by the Great Elephant census.
With the law being legal for elephant hunters in Botswana, it may be hard for other tourist to bring home their victories as most countries still don’t support the killing of these species. The government had claimed that the lifting of the banning on the elephants were due to the fact that the predators were increasing.
Masisi believes that the hunting of the elephants would the livelihood of the locals.
Even though many have criticised the country for such radical decision, the Conservationists and has reacted with complete rage. South Africa had said that the decision for this impact was due to the fast-increasing number of elephants in the country.
“The whole world is turning away from hunting. It is increasingly seen as an archaic practice. This is very, very damaging to the image of Botswana as a global leader in the elephant conservation” said DR Paula Kahumbu, who is an expert and activist based in Kenya
The vast disappointment lead to an outrage on twitter left many disappointed in the country and the decision taken by the government. Some of the comments from twitter were, “Disappointing decision by Botswana to lift hunting ban and to lift the suspension for trophy hunting – this bloody sport is cruel, outdated, unethical and often undermining.”
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