P25.7 million made from 60 elephants

Elephants in the Chobe National Park PIC. THALEFANG CHARLES
Elephants in the Chobe National Park PIC. THALEFANG CHARLES

Botswana auctioned six licences on Friday to hunt a total of 60 elephants, the first to be allowed in since President Mokgweetsi Masisi lifted a five-year ban on big game hunting last May. 

Africa’s overall elephant population is declining due to poaching but Botswana, home to almost a third of the continent’s elephants, has seen numbers grow to 130,000 from 80,000 in the late 1990s. 

Botswana officials say hunting is necessary to ease conflict between animals and humans, especially farmers who have seen their crops and infrastructure destroyed by elephants roaming outside their feeding zones.

Editor's Comment
Routine child vaccination imperative

The recent Vaccination Day in Motokwe, orchestrated through collaborative efforts between UNICEF, USAID, BRCS, and the Ministry of Health, underscores a commendable stride towards fortifying child health services.The painful reality as reflected by the Ministry of Health's data regarding the decline in routine immunisation coverage since the onset of the pandemic, is a cause for concern.It underscores the urgent need to address the...

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