Animal rights activists have strongly criticized the killing of 23 elephants in Botswana. These elephants were killed so that enough meat could be made available during the country's Independence Day celebrations.
Located in the southern part of Africa, this country has the largest population of elephants in the world. Last week, the 60th anniversary of independence from Britain was celebrated here and celebrations are being organized across the country throughout the week.
According to local media, for this the Ministry of Environment and Tourism issued a license in which hunting of 23 elephants and other wild animals was allowed.
Botswana's Elephant Protection Society has said that this decision could harm the conservation of elephants. Its president Oitse Nava told the BBC that elephants need more protection.
He warned that killing elephants for ceremonial feasts could send the message that it is okay to kill elephants with government approval. This may also encourage illegal hunting.
"The social structure of elephants is breaking down because they are being forced to move from one place to another due to the constant sound of gunfire," Nava said.
Amid the spread of foot-and-mouth disease, many social media users in the country have expressed concern over eating meat of wild animals. Authorities have taken several measures to prevent the spread of this disease.
Tshenatshe Monwela, a local resident of Maun, a town in north-western Botswana, told media that his community should have been given buffalo meat. This city is known for tourism.
He said that elephants have cultural and environmental importance. Therefore, when distributing meat for the anniversary celebrations, the government should have kept in mind Botswana's historical role in elephant conservation.
The Botswana government organized several events to celebrate the country's 60th anniversary. Apart from the carnival, cultural programs, music and sports events were also held in the capital Gaborone.
There is a tradition of serving meat of wild animals at the traditional Independence Day feast in Botswana. It was decided to kill 23 elephants from 8 districts of the country.
It is not yet clear how many of these elephants have been killed. BBC has sought answers from the government on this matter. However, local media have published some pictures from different parts of Botswana. In these, people are seen gathered around the dead bodies of elephants. Some people have knives in their hands and are distributing meat.
Questions have also been raised about this in Chobe district of northern Botswana, located near the border of Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe. An MP here expressed concern that some people were taking meat directly from the carcass of a dead elephant in a school.
He said that distributing meat in this way could increase the crowd. This may cause problems to the elderly, pregnant women and disabled people. He suggested that for better hygiene and proper distribution of meat, it should be divided into packets of 5 or 10 kg.
MP Simasiku Mapulanga shared pictures on Facebook of people crowding around the elephant carcass to collect meat. He wrote that in future, arrangements for distribution of meat should be made in a better way keeping in mind dignity, fairness and cleanliness.
Elephant meat is common in some wildlife areas. Especially when the meat obtained from legal hunting is distributed among the local people. However, it is not a daily staple. However, in Botswana there are strict rules regarding the meat of wild animals. Generally it has to be proven that the meat came from legal hunting.
This decision to kill 23 elephants has once again intensified the old debate about managing the large elephant population in Botswana. There are more than 1 lakh 30 thousand elephants in Botswana. The communities living with them have long complained that elephants destroy their crops, damage property and sometimes even kill people.
The government says that controlled hunting helps in controlling elephant numbers and human-wildlife conflict. This also generates income for local communities. The country had banned trophy hunting in 2014 during the tenure of former President Ian Khama. But Mokgweetsi Masisi, who became President after him, lifted this ban after five years.
Trophy hunting means hunting a wild animal primarily for the purpose of taking its skin, horns, teeth, head or other body parts as a trophy. That means the aim in this is not just to get meat. Hunters often keep some part of the animal as a souvenir or for display. For example, in the case of elephants, their tusks (ivory) may be kept as trophies.
The hunt continues even during the tenure of President Duma Boko, who defeated Masisi in the 2024 elections. The government says that the earnings from hunting are used for wildlife conservation and local development.
Environment and Tourism Minister Winter Mamolotsi told Parliament last year that 15 million pula (local currency) or about 1.1 million dollars had been collected from the hunting quota set for elephants in 2025. With this money, projects were run in elephant areas.
However, conservation organizations have raised questions about whether hunting on such a large scale can be continued over the long term. Supporters of Botswana's hunting policy say international criticism often ignores the plight of rural communities who live among large numbers of elephants. He says elephants damage crops and infrastructure and also pose a threat to people. Especially when the territory of elephants is constantly clashing with farms and settlements.
