Politics, popular grievances and the power of animal advocacy

Sunday, May 05, 2019

This comment by Dr. Mokgweetsi Masisi sums up the feelings of not just Botswanas President but also of many of its parliamentarians, community leaders and especially-of Batswana who live in rural areas alongside potentially dangerous and destructive wildlife.

To them it seems that Western animal lovers and animal-rights NGOs, and their African allies, appear to cherish wildlife above any concern for people who suffer crop damage or loss of livestock. This has been a long-running issue across southern Africa, but Botswana in particular is now caught up in an increasingly bitter controversy over its elephants that is fuelled by a number of factors, including:

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