Urgent Action Needed As Botswana Plans To Allow The Hunting Of 287 Elephants At The Beginning Of April

Botswana has just announced plans to allow the hunting of 287 elephants beginning next month, causing worldwide outrage among conservationists.

This shocking news comes a week after the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced that the African forest elephant was now listed as Critically Endangered, and the African savanna elephant was listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. The decision was made because of the decline in elephant populations over several decades due to poaching for ivory and loss of habitat.

The latest assessments by the IUCN highlights a broadscale decline in African elephant numbers across the continent. The number of African forest elephants fell by more than 86% over a period of 31 years, while the population of African savanna elephants decreased by at least 60% over the last 50 years, according to the assessments.

According to the Department of Wildlife and National Parks, the hunting season is scheduled to begin on April 6th in Botswana, which has the largest elephant population in the world, estimated at 130,000. One hundred hunting licenses are to be issued, including 187 that were issued during last year’s season.

Despite President Mokgweetsi Masisi lifting Botswana’s hunting ban last year, many animals were thankfully spared due to strict travel restrictions from COVID-19. Now that restrictions are being lifted, the government wants to resume “business as usual” to continue their cruel, archaic, and outdated industry.

In February, WAN reported on the controversial auction of 170 wild elephants in Namibia, where elephant populations are estimated to be only 24,000. It is sickening that these countries continue to auction off endangered species as they inch closer to extinction. We must take action and speak out to stop these atrocities from continuing.

Please call the office of the President of Botswana to urge him to reinstate the ban on hunting at +267 365 0837 or email gpitso@gov.be

Contact the Botswana Democratic Party at +267 395 2564

You can also sign the petition HERE!