&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Botswana faces backlash after authorising killing of 23 elephants for independence celebrations")
Botswana's government has authorised the killing of 23 elephants for its Independence Day celebrations this week, drawing criticism from conservationists and a former president. Hunting licences were issued in districts across the country, each receiving a share of the overall quota. Authorities said on Friday (Oct 2) that the animals would provide meat for needy rural communities. The government also approved the killing of dozens of antelope under the same initiative, which coincided with the 60th anniversary of Botswana's independence from Britain on Wednesday.
African savanna elephants are listed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Botswana, however, has an estimated 130,000 elephants, more than any other country. The government lifted a ban on elephant hunting in 2019, largely because of their growing numbers. In recent years it has issued annual quotas of between 200 and more than 400 elephants, depending on the year.
Officials have previously defended the quotas as necessary to manage elephant numbers and limit conflict between people and elephants. Dimakatso Ntshebe, deputy director at the department of wildlife and national parks, defended this week's hunt, saying wildlife conservation "must deliver meaningful benefits" to communities living alongside wildlife.
Critics were unconvinced. Botswana's Elephant Protection Society called the decision reckless and warned it could make herds more hostile to nearby residents. "When one elephant is shot, the rest become defensive," the group told news agency Associated Press.
Ian Khama, who was president from 2008 to 2018 and now serves as a regional chief, said he disagreed with the move. He said it created an "expectation" that elephants would be killed for future national events.
Trending Stories
)
US vs China over South China Sea: Washington backs Philippines, Beijing hits back
)
Bigg Boss 20: Isha Rikhi evicted after three weeks in Salman Khan’s show
)
Musk plans to more than double xAI's chips to over 1.2 million Nvidia GPUs by year-end
)
After JU, clash erupts at SRFTI: BJP’s ‘Dimagi Naxal’ jibe sparks political firestorm after students protest RSS-linked event
)
‘Anti-social elements spreading false rumours’: LPU issues statement amid massive unrest over alleged rape
)
LPU students go on rampage, vandalise campus amid widespread protest: What's happening
)
Trump asked Xi to pressure Iran. China did not say yes — here’s what Beijing wants
)
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hails global crackdown on Iranian banks and airlines
)
An OpenAI agent escaped its locked test cage again, by hiding questions in DNS lookups
)
'Our video was trimmed': LPU girls who featured in rape-denial video make U-turn
)
3 males killed, four others injured in shooting after fight at strip club in Detroit
)
'Victory for low-budget consumers': Raghav Chadha hails 30-day telecom recharge rules
)
Claude rebuilt the 1989 game 'Prince of Persia' by reusing the original's own code
)
Beyond metros: How Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities could drive India’s next AI wave
)
Tesla builds first Cybertruck with its own refined lithium: Elon Musk's $1 billion Texas bet pays off
)
IndiGo flight suffers tail strike in Bengaluru while landing; DGCA to probe incident
)
The US and China set up an AI 'red telephone', but skipped the rulebook
)
‘Terror suspects arrested near UK air base were looking to do big damage’: Trump
)
Russian envoy claims US tactics to contain India were revealed in ‘Freudian slip’
)
IND vs WI 1st ODI: Kohli breaks Sachin's most runs in one country record with unbeaten 139 as India thump West Indies by 8 wickets
)
Researchers rebuilt exactly how 700 AI agents hacked Hugging Face: a 900-link chain trick
)
‘Olympic inclusion is our major target’: WPA President Ishaun Singh on pool’s global ambitions
)
Nations League: Spain sink England at Wembley; Modric shines for Croatia
)
Why has Iran released no proof of life of Mojtaba Khamenei? Araghchi reveals...
)
'What kind of confession is this?': Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif’s 'terrorists would be roaming New York' remark goes viral, raises alarm online. Watch
)
South Korea demands apology from Ukraine over North Korean prisoners' transfer
)
Beyond BrahMos: India targets Rs 50,000 crore in defence exports with unmatched price edge
)
Sri Lankan Tamil migrant worker gets death sentence in Saudi Arabia, help sought from India
)
Muslim marriage cannot shield sex with minor wife from prosecution under POCSO: Delhi HC
)
'Can't help but draw painful parallels to Nirbhaya case': SC on latest incidents of rape cases in Delhi-NCR
)
99.9% more powerful - Scientists find boy who can recall memories from just 3 months of age
)
'FIRST LOOK from inside Noah’s Ark': Researchers share video from inside mysterious mound in Turkey
)
UNSC reform momentum grows: Russia, Portugal, Mauritius push for India's permanent seat bid
)
8 US marines injured in Iranian missile attack on vessel in Strait of Hormuz: Report
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New OTT releases this week (September 28-October 4, 2026): Dupahiya 2, Pooja Meri Jaan, Ohh My Dog- 5 titles coming on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Afghanistan says 28 fighters killed in clash near Pakistan border, Islamabad denies
)
Ceuta migrant crisis: Protesters take to streets as Spain grapples with migrant challenge
)
LPU suspend classes, postpones exams as violence escalates over rape claims: What's happening
)
New York City wants a 'kill switch' on every AI, and will pay whistleblowers who report violations
Also read: Elephants hide behind trees, stage surprise attack on poachers targeting rhinos in South Africa
Elephants can be destructive and dangerous, and several African countries face herds damaging crops and infrastructure and killing or injuring people. Neighbouring South Africa also issues annual elephant hunting quotas. Botswana, a popular destination for wildlife tourists, compensates local people for human-wildlife conflict, with hundreds of cases recorded each year.
The country's elephant numbers drew international attention in 2024. Then-president Mokgweetsi Masisi responded to criticism of trophy hunting from the UK and Germany by offering to send tens of thousands of elephants to those countries. The German newspaper Bild quoted him as saying it was "very easy to sit in Berlin and have an opinion", and that managing elephants was "no joke".
