Breaking! Outrage Ensues After One Of Africa’s Last Remaining ‘Big Tuskers’ Is Killed By A Trophy Hunter In Botswana

Photo by: Game Animals of the Past and Present

Heartbreaking news as a trophy hunter has reportedly killed one of the last remaining ‘big tuskers’ left in the world. This critically endangered elephant, who attracted visitors from around the world, was incredibly rare because both of his tusks swept the ground.

Botswana’s former president Ian Khama was among those outraged by the news. As the country’s fourth president, Khama banned the trophy hunting of elephants. Sadly, shortly after his term ended in 2018, the ban was lifted and the senseless killing of elephants for so-called “trophies” became legal again in 2019.

“This was one of the largest tuskers in the country. An elephant that tour operators constantly tried to show tourists as an iconic attraction. Now he is dead. How does he being dead benefit our declining tourism due to poor policies? Our tourism is wildlife based. No wildlife means no tourism, no tourists no jobs, and no revenue stream,” Khama shared in a post on his Facebook page. “Incompetence and poor leadership have almost wiped out the rhino population, and now this!”

According to Game Animals of the Past and Present, which claims not to be a pro or anti-hunting Facebook page, there were two elephants killed on the trip and one was the biggest elephant hunted in Botswana since 1996. The page, which questionably states that it is “creating the ultimate multimedia guide to the world’s game species,” also posted a photo of what reportedly is the dead elephant along with the pathetically proud hunters in the background.

“Killing such a magnificent animal for amusement is a moral and ecological tragedy. This elephant was an important influence in his herd and to the future of its younger males. Along with other big tuskers, he represented the promise and reality of exciting, educational, and breathtaking wildlife viewing tourism as a dynamic revenue source for Botswana and other range nations,” Teresa Telecky, Vice President of Wildlife for Humane Society International, said in a statement. “Trophy hunters must end their bogus, false claims that the money they pay for their so-called thrill to kill helps human communities. Their downright cruelty is not about helping anyone, but about someone’s sick desire to hang a head in their living room.”

Sadly, there is believed to be fewer than 20 big tuskers remaining on earth. We must do whatever we can to save their species from extinction in the wild.