Urgent Call To Action! Urge Botswana’s Government To Reinstate Ban On Elephant Hunting During COVID-19 Pandemic

The lives of 270 elephants are hanging in the balance due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Botswana officially ended its five-year elephant hunting ban in 2019, but global airline shutdowns have prevented hunters from traveling to the region to gun down the innocent animals. Please take this fleeting opportunity to urge Botswana officials to reinstate its successful hunting ban and use nonlethal means to resolve human-elephant conflicts.

Hunting traumatizes elephants who witness the tragic, violent deaths of their beloved family members. Elephants have extraordinary memories and are haunted by these gruesome images for the rest of their lives. Through low-frequency soundwaves called infrasound, elephants warn other herds about the senseless hunter massacres. Unsurprisingly, elephants who remember hunting traumas are more likely to respond aggressively toward humans. It’s a recipe for disaster.

Botswana has a long history of ongoing conflicts between humans and elephants. During the country’s five-year hunting ban implemented in 2014, over 2,000 elephants were saved and this helped to offset increased elephant poaching in the region.

Before the ban, hunting firms filled watering holes for elephants to ensure easy targets. Now, elephants must commute farther to find watering holes to drink from, which brings them in contact with farmers’ crops and livestock. Keeping these watering holes filled may help resolve elephant conflicts with local farmers without selling hunting licenses.

In 2017, a pea farmer named Patrick Kilonzo Mwalua was celebrated for driving hours every day to deliver 3,000 gallons of fresh water to elephants and other wildlife in Kenya during a historic drought. Between road trips, Mwalua runs a conservation project called Tsavo Volunteers. He also visits local schools to talk to children about protecting wildlife. This is a fine example of a farmer going out of his way to help wildlife in a time of need, not harm them.

There are many successful ways for Botswana’s officials to help both the people and elephants in the country without bloodshed. These clever strategies include; replenishing local watering holes, patrolling farms, humane education, immunocontraception, and photography-based eco-tours.

What YOU Can Do:

Now is our chance to prevent more senseless elephant deaths. Join us in encouraging Botswana officials to reinstate the elephant trophy hunting ban and implement nonlethal methods to resolve conflicts with elephants.

1. Please comment on the Facebook pages of the Botswana Department Of Wildlife & National Parks and Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism, and tweet the Botswana government.

You may say: Please reinstate the successful ban on elephant hunting and implement nonlethal methods of resolving human-elephant conflicts.

2. Submit In Defense of Animals’ letter urging Botswana officials to reinstate their elephant hunting ban and opt for nonlethal methods to resolve conflicts with elephants. SIGN HERE!

Content courtesy of In Defense of Animals. Help them continue fighting for animals, people, and the environment by making a donation HERE!