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Elephant Hunting to Go On In Botswana, Despite Red Listing

Authorities in Botswana say the elephant hunting season will go ahead as planned, despite a world conservation body listing African elephants as endangered, Voice of America reports. Botswana's government argues its elephant population - the world's largest - is growing too fast and leading to human-wildlife conflict. The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has now listed Africa's Savannah elephants as endangered and its forest elephants as critically endangered. But Botswana's Director of Wildlife and National Parks, Kabelo Senyatso said the authorized elephant hunts will begin on April 6 as planned. Senyatso said his government uses IUCN's red list as one of the tools to implement conservation programs and noted that the IUCN report notes Botswana's elephant population is growing, not declining. The country has an estimated 130,000 elephants within its borders.

Botswana: Elephant Hunts to Go On Despite Red Listing

VOA, 31 March 2021

Authorities in Botswana say the elephant hunting season will go ahead as planned, despite a world conservation body listing African elephants as endangered. Botswana's government… Read more »
Africa: Africa's Elephants Now Endangered By Poaching, Habitat Loss

VOA, 26 March 2021

Increasing threats of poaching and loss of habitat have made Africa's elephant populations more endangered, according to a report released Thursday by the International Union for… Read more »
Africa: New Decisions By Global Conservation Group Bolster Efforts to Save Elephants

The Conversation Africa, 31 March 2021

Two big decisions have been made in the last few weeks in relation to African elephants that will have major implications for the survival of the giant mammals. Read more »
Africa: Africa's Elephant Species Are Both Endangered, Due to Poaching and Habitat Loss

The Conversation Africa, 26 March 2021

Humans have been over-exploiting African elephants for centuries. More than 2,000 years ago, the Roman Empire's demand for ivory led to the extinction of genetically distinct… Read more »
Botswana: Govt Opens Hunting Season With 287 Elephants On Offer

VOA, 24 March 2021

Botswana is to issue nearly 300 elephant hunting licenses next month for the first full hunting season since a ban was lifted in 2019. Coronavirus travel restrictions disrupted the… Read more »
Africa: Elephants Face Extinction Due to Poaching, Shrinking Habitats

DW, 25 March 2021

African elephant populations have decreased dramatically over the past decades, due to the illegal ivory trade and habitat loss, an NGO has said. Conservationists say only 415,000… Read more »
Africa: Recreational Hunting, Conservation and Livelihoods - No Clear Evidence Trail

The Conversation Africa, 2 March 2021

In sub-Saharan Africa, almost 1,400,000 km² of land spread across many countries -- from Kenya to South Africa -- is dedicated to "trophy" (recreational) hunting. This type of… Read more »

InFocus

Govt Probes Death of 56 Elephants in Botswana

Botswana is investigating the mysterious death of 56 elephants in the last two months. The country's Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism says 12 elephants were found dead last week in villages in the Okavango Delta panhandle. In March, 44 animals died. Authorities have ruled out poaching, as all carcasses were found intact.
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- Botswana: Govt Probes Death of 56 Elephants
- Botswana: Authorities Probe Mysterious Deaths of Elephants
Botswana, Country With Most Elephants, Lifts Ban On Hunting

The government would ensure that "reinstatement of hunting is done in an orderly and ethical manner" and in accordance with the law and regulations, the Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism has said. The ban was introduced in 2014 by former president Ian Khama but lawmakers have been lobbying to overturn the ban, saying numbers have become unmanageably large in some areas increasing conflict between farmers and the animals, which at times destroy crops and
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- Botswana: Elephants Reduced to a Political Football As Botswana Brings Back Hunting
- Botswana: Botswana, Country With Most Elephants, Lifts Ban On Hunting
Botswana Hosts Crucial Elephant Summit

The elephant summit scheduled for May 7 will assist authorities to refine the decision on the hunting ban, the government has said. Angola, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, which also have the largest number of elephants in the region, have thrown their weight behind Botswana's management of elephants, which includes lifting the hunting ban and castration of the largest mammal on earth.
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- Southern Africa: Elephant Summit Kicks Off in Kasane
- Southern Africa: Botswana to Host Elephant Summit