WWF sees nothing in elephant hunting in Botswana: "There are other solutions"

The World Wide Fund for Nature is not looking forward to the Botswana government's plans to allow hunting for pleasure again for elephants. Since 2014, there has been a hunting ban, but according to the government, there are too many elephants and animals are causing damage to agricultural crops. According to the WWF, there are other solutions to the problem of elephants.

Christiaan van der Hoeven of the World Wide Fund for Nature understands that the African government wants to do something for farmers who suffer damage. "I understand that there is a problem, people say that there are too many elephants, but there is actually too little space, so there is a lot of Meme it conflicts between elephants and small farmers in particular, but there are other solutions. Allow the hunt for pleasure. "

According to Van der Hoeven, Botswana can better solve the nuisances of the prosperous elephant population by working together with neighboring countries." Botswana is in good shape in terms of nature conservation, while Like Zimbabwe, but the surrounding countries, Namibia, Angola and Zambia, may use a few more elephants, so countries have agreed to create a large transboundary nature reserve. It all depends on the possibility for elephants to roam freely if there is too little food. "

Removing fences

The establishment of such a cross-border park is not regulated overnight." Van der Hoeven: "It's a long process, there has a lot of politics: you have to agree with five countries on how borders open, how fences are removed, how do you allow animals in your territory to go on another territory. "

Nevertheless, Botswana should focus on this solution, thinks Van der Hoeven, also because hunting is not a real solution to the problem. nuisance. The pleasure yacht mainly generates money for the government. "If you do it right, this money will have to end up with the local people, who will then be compensated for the damage, but you can not put it as a solution to the problem of too many elephants, because that is n & # 39; 39 will not arrive. "