The president of Botswana threatened Germany with giving him up 20,000 elephants, upset because the German government criticized the cpachyderm hunting and trophy exports which his country practices, according to him, to regulate the number of animals.
The Germans must “living with animals now that they try to give us instructions”said the leader of Botswana, Mokgweetsi Masisiin statements to the German newspaper Bild, posted online on Tuesday.
“It is not a joke”he added about his offer to send to the country in the north of Europe 20,000 pachyderms.
“We would like to give that gift to Germany”said Masisiadding that “he will not accept rejection.”
Botswana is home to the largest population of elephants in the world
Botswana, country in southern Africais home to the largest population of elephants in the world, that is, about 130,000, with whom cohabitation is sometimes difficult, according to the president. The president referred to attacks against humans, towns and crops.
Criticism of the German Ministry of Environmentled by environmentalists, concern the elephant hunting trophies that wealthy Western customers buy.
The ministry had mentioned earlier this year the possibility of strictly limiting the import of such trophies because of the poaching problem.
“In the EU We are holding discussions with the aim of extending the requirement for import permits (…) to other hunting trophies of protected animals,” a ministry spokeswoman told AFP on Tuesday.
The word of the German authorities
By being Germany one of the largest importers of hunting trophies in the EU, has “a particular responsibility”, he added.
Regarding the “gift” proposed by the president Masisithe German Environment Ministry said that “Botswana has not contacted” even to the ministry about it.
In 2019, Botswana lifted the total ban on hunting established five years earlier to reduce the decline in the population of elephants and other species.
This lifting of the ban caused fury among environmental defenders. Commercial hunting is also an important source of local income.
Botswana decides each year a quota of animals that can be hunted. Last year Botswana offered 8,000 elephants to Angola and 500 to Mozambique in 2022.
Source: Ambito
