Politics, popular grievances and the power of animal advocacy

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:

 

Editor's Comment
Human rights are sacred

It highlights the need to protect rights such as access to clean water, education, healthcare and freedom of expression.President Duma Boko, rightly honours past interventions from securing a dignified burial for Gaoberekwe Pitseng in the CKGR to promoting linguistic inclusion. Yet, they also expose a critical truth, that a nation cannot sustainably protect its people through ad hoc acts of compassion alone.It is time for both government and the...

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