Germany’s Greens have announced their intention to ban hunters from importing their trophies from Africa to Germany. The backlash? Mokgweetsi Masisi, President of Botswana, wants to send 20,000 elephants to Germany. “If they think they know better, they should show them how you can live with elephants without hunting.”
Trophy hunting is a form of sport hunting in which the hunted animals are kept and displayed as trophies. The German Greens, including Environment Minister Steffi Lemke, want to introduce import restrictions on such trophies.
“If you like elephants so much, please accept this gift. But we do want our elephants to be able to roam freely. The German weather is bad enough for them”
Mokgweetsi Masisi
President of Botswana
However, Botswana’s president insists that controlled trophy hunting is normal. The country now has more than 130,000 elephants. About 6,000 elephants are added every year. Masisi says his country suffers from elephant overpopulation. They trample people, destroy crops or even entire villages. Hunting is a way to control the elephant population. According to Masisi, a ban on the import of trophies will promote poaching and contribute to poverty.
20,000 wild elephants as a gift
Botswana is apparently not happy with the situation, and makes this clear in a very special way. “If the Greens know better, they should show how you can live with elephants without hunting,” he says. His offer: 20,000 wild elephants. “This is not a joke,” the president told the German newspaper BILD. “If you like elephants so much, please accept this gift from us. You must live with animals in the way you tell us to,” he said.
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Of course, they don’t just get that gift. An important condition of the donation, which according to Masisi cannot be refused, is that the elephants must continue to roam freely in Germany. “We want our elephants to be able to roam freely. The German weather is bad enough for them,” says Masisi. He wants “to know what Mrs. Lemke thinks about it” and “doesn’t take no for an answer.”
Our country and the US are participating
Compared to 50 years ago, the elephant population in Africa has fallen by 60 percent, according to Humane Society International, an NGO committed to humane treatment of animals. As the elephant population in Africa is plummeting, Germany’s Greens are not the only ones concerned with this issue.
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In January, the Belgian parliament voted unanimously in favor of a ban on the import of hunting trophies of certain species. This comes after the Netherlands banned the import of hunting trophies from more than 200 species and France banned the import of hunting trophies from lions. The US also decided a few days ago to ban the import of hunting trophies from various countries. The decision comes into effect on May 1 and limits imports to countries that can demonstrate that their African elephant populations are stable.
