Botswana President Threatens to Send 20,000 Elephants to Germany Over Hunting Trophy Dispute

Botswana has not raised any concerns with the German government on this matter, a spokesperson for the German foreign ministry told reporters at a regular news briefing Wednesday.

And German environment ministry spokeswoman Iris Throm said that the ministry remained in talks with African countries affected by import rules, including Botswana.

According to the ministry, Germany is one of the largest importers of hunting trophies in the European Union, and African hunting trophies already require import authorization under current rules.

Figures from Germany’s Federal Agency for Nature Conservation show that the country imported 26 hunting trophies from African elephants in 2023 out of a total of nearly 650.

The ministry is in discussion with the EU on stricter import restrictions which focus on extending the list of protected species, Throm added.

Mary Rice, executive director of the NGO Environmental Investigation Agency, told CNN that Masisi’s vow is a “ rather empty threat” and it’s “unclear what it would achieve were it remotely possible.”

But the spat is linked to wider issues around trophy hunting, according to Rice.

“Regardless of whether you are for or against hunting as a conservation tool, the hunting industry – as that is what it is – needs to get its house in order,” she said.

“It is largely self-regulated, lacks transparency and is open to rogue behavior,” added Rice.

Masisi’s interview with Bild comes after the Botswanan president recently warned that a hunting trophy import ban being debated in the UK parliament would amount to “a resurgence of colonial conquests” if it passes.

Trophy hunting does not come close to diminishing the elephant population, Masisi told broadcaster Sky News.

The country does “not even come close” to the 400 elephants per year quota allowed by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of international trade, he added.

Masisi said he would be “abhorred” if a UK ban passes, calling it “condescending.”

“I find it unfathomable that you’d be horrified of the protection of ones’ livelihood – rural, poor people, who have allowed 40% of the country to be set aside for conservation – when they defend themselves,” Masisi said. (CNN)