Enlarge image
Elephant in Botswana
Photo: VW Pics / Universal Images Group / Getty Images
Botswana wants to send 20,000 elephants to Germany - this news made the rounds on April 2nd. First the “Bild” reported, then news agencies and many media outlets at home and abroad. Critical readers probably thought it was a belated April Fool's joke. But “Bild” quotes Botswana President Mokgweetsi Masisi as saying: “This is no joke.”
Will Botswana really transport tens of thousands of elephants to Germany?
No, hardly. The South African country is probably more interested in alarming the public with a well-executed provocation. (The government has already tested this effect in the case of Great Britain, see below). The "Bild" is happy about an exciting topic and the admittedly nice headline that the animals would be flown to Germany in a "Dumbo jet".
There are currently no real diplomatic efforts to send elephants, as a spokeswoman for Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) confirmed upon request. Botswana has not yet contacted the Federal Environment Ministry about the matter.
Enlarge image
Botswana's President Mokgweetsi Eric Masisi
Photo: Dominika Zarzycka / picture alliance / NurPhoto
What's behind the elephant announcement?
It's about hunting trophies, or more precisely: the regulation of the import of stuffed animal heads, for example. Botswana, located in southern Africa, fears that Germany could soon completely ban imports. This promotes poverty and poaching in Botswana and harms the country, President Masisi told “Bild”.
Is it just about Germany?
In fact, Germany is not the only country that Botswana is threatening to send elephants to. According to the Botswana Sunday newspaper "The Patriot on Sunday", at the end of March Environmental Protection and Tourism Minister Dumezweni Mthimkhulu spoke of giving away 10,000 elephants to the United Kingdom so that they could graze in Hyde Park. The reason: In March, Parliament in London voted to ban the import of hunting trophies, although the law has not yet come into force. The Botswana government demands that the ban be lifted.
What is the legal situation with hunting trophies and what should be regulated?
Germany is one of the largest importers of hunting trophies into the EU. An import permit is already required for some, including hippos, lions and polar bears. This means that before importing, it is checked whether the trophies come from sustainable or illegal hunting. This is not the case with other animals, even if they are internationally protected and endangered, such as crocodiles, zebras and giraffes. This is about to change soon.
There are efforts within the EU to require a permit for the import of trophies from other endangered species in the future. "Due to the alarming loss of biological diversity, we have a special responsibility to do the utmost to ensure the sustainability and legality of the import of hunting trophies of protected species into Germany," the Environment Ministry spokeswoman told SPIEGEL. An expansion of the approval requirements is currently being discussed. »Germany is committed to rapid decision-making in the EU.«
Important to know: African elephant trophies, such as those found in Botswana, are already subject to authorization when imported into the EU. According to the Ministry of the Environment, in the case of elephants from Botswana, the existing practice would not change at all.
So much ado about nothing?
The Federal Environment Ministry emphasizes that the current discussion is only about expanding existing licensing requirements for hunting trophies, not a complete ban on imports. But this isn't entirely out of the question either: In Great Britain, for example, after several years of discussion, a corresponding ban was passed in March, although the law is not yet in force. The import of hunting trophies is already banned in the EU states France and Belgium; both bans are only a few months old.
Before her appointment, Federal Environment Minister Lemke had called for exactly what Botswana fears today. The legal import of hunting trophies from protected animals is “completely absurd” while more and more animal species are on the verge of extinction, she said in 2021. “In view of the dramatic situation with the loss of species, the federal government must act and stop the practice of hunting trophies from protected species.” Because besides Destruction of their habitat, climate crisis and illegal trade, legal trade is also responsible for the decline in animal populations.
At that time, Lemke was the Green Party's nature conservation spokeswoman; today, as a minister, she cannot implement everything that the opposition once demanded. Lemke's spokeswoman says that there will be no national solo efforts in the current discussion in the EU.
What is the criticism of hunting trophies?
In 2022, 14 animal protection organizations, including Pro Wildlife and the German Nature Conservation Ring, called for a ban on the import of hunting trophies from endangered species. Trophy hunting is “ethically not justifiable” and contradicts “fundamental goals of nature, species and animal protection,” says the joint declaration (available here as a PDF). It is demonstrably contributing to the extinction of animal species and is also economically insignificant, it says there.
Enlarge image
Elephant in Botswana: A majority of Germans are against big game hunting
Photo: Anadolu/Getty Images
A 2021 survey also found that a large part of the German population is against protected animals being shot simply to bring back a trophy. In a survey by the British market research company Savanta on behalf of the Humane Society International, around 85 percent of around 2,000 Germans surveyed opposed the hunting of wild animals in Africa, and even more (89 percent) were against the import of hunting trophies (PDF of the study).
Why is Botswana resisting so vehemently?
In the "Bild" newspaper, President Masisi points out that elephants in his country are no longer threatened with extinction: thanks to successful species protection, Botswana now has more than 130,000 elephants, more than any other African country. There is an “overpopulation” with constant growth. Hunting is an important means of regulating the population. That is also necessary: People are repeatedly attacked and trampled to death by elephants, villages are devastated and crops are destroyed, says the president.
Botswana's Environment Minister Mthimkhulu emphasized during a visit to Germany in March that hunting elephants is an important source of income for the Botswana population. Around 50 communities would benefit from hunting to the equivalent of around two million euros per year. If Germany restricts imports of trophies, this would have a direct impact on the Botswana population, which uses it to finance school fees.
more on the subject
Lions, giraffes, elephants: German trophy hunters kill hundreds of protected animals
Illegal Ivory Trade:How Tusk DNA Can Help Uncover Smuggling Networks
Poaching in Botswana: Outrage over killing elephants
Mpho Mfolwe from the Botswana embassy in Germany also appeals for understanding. "Botswana is not in a hunting or killing spree," he tells SPIEGEL. "We simply don't want any further regulations and would like Germany to think about the effects this would have." There is a quota set by international bodies as to how many elephants can be shot per year, and Botswana sticks to it.
A halt to wild animal hunting would “not only threaten the economy, but also the well-being of the animals that are supposed to be protected,” says Mfolwe. It is important that the origin of the trophies is impeccable. "Germany should help us trade these trophies instead of restricting trade."
Has hunting of elephants always been allowed in Botswana?
No, trophy hunting has been banned in Botswana since 2014. The measure was intended to promote species protection and attract more vacationers to the South African country: look instead of shooting. Five years later, however, the country lifted the restrictions again, partly because of pressure from the villages. The elephant population was sufficiently large and was affecting agriculture, the Ministry of Environmental Protection said at the time. The country now issues annual hunting quotas, stating that trophy hunting is a good source of income for the local population and that hunting is licensed and strictly controlled.
With material from the agencies