Urgent Signatures Needed To Protect Elephants In Botswana As Government Is Considering Lifting Ban On Trophy Hunting

In an unfathomable move late last week, the government of Botswana, which is home to an estimated 135,000 elephants, the largest elephant population on the continent, confirmed that it is considering lifting a ban on hunting wildlife.

This comes after President Mokgweetsi Masisi formed a special committee in June of last year to review and reconsider a hunting ban, which went into effect in January of 2014.

As per a post on the government’s Facebook page, at the time, the decision to temporarily ban hunting was reportedly “necessitated by available information which indicated several species in the country were on the decline” due to factors such as “anthropogenic impacts, including illegal offtake and habitat fragmentation or loss.’’

The report was presented by chairperson of the committee, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Frans van der Westhuizen, who explained the committee was tasked to carry out consultations and then come up with recommendations on the hunting ban.

According to numerous reports, the committee recommended that the hunting ban should be lifted and that a legal framework should be developed that will “create an enabling environment for growth of safari hunting industry and manage Botswana elephant population within its historic range.” Ridiculous!

The controversial report also called for “regular but limited” elephant culling.

It is unfathomable to think that Botswana wants create an environment for killing innocent animals whose population continues to decline due to increased threats such as poaching and the illegal ivory trade.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) estimates that approximately 30,000 elephants are killed in Africa each year to supply the deplorable demand for ivory in Asian markets.

President Masisi is planning to review the report and take its recommendations into consideration.

Please Sign This Care2 Petition NOW Urging President Masisi Not To Lift Botswana’s Trophy Hunting Ban HERE!

You can help all animals and our planet by choosing compassion on your plate and in your glass. #GoVeg

More on this topic

Popular stories

Queen Elizabeth Signs New Law Increasing Animal Cruelty Sentences In England & Wales From 6 Months To 5 Years In Prison

The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 was signed into law yesterday by  Queen Elizabeth, increasing the maximum penalty for animal cruelty in England and Wales from six...

Breaking! $22,500 Reward Offered To Find The Criminal Who Killed Another Collared Female Wolf In Oregon; This Marks The 10th Wolf Killed In The...

Photo from Oregon State Police Conservation and animal-protection groups announced a combined $22,500 reward for information leading to a conviction in the killing of a...

Breaking News! California Legislators Introduce Bill That Would Suspend Horse Racing If Injuries Or Deaths Occur, It’s About Time!

In an effort to protect race horses amidst the recent deaths of 23 horses at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, CA, state Sen. Bill Dodd (D-Napa) and...