Why the hell did Botswana ban hunting in 2014?

WilhelmM

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We all know that hunting has been reopened in Botswana and for good reason. Not since Kenya had I seen such utter stupidity from a government that claimed it wanted to "protect" (by getting rid of all economic value of course) its wildlife by destroying an entire industry, an industry that was the sole reason for Botswana's vast wilderness areas with Africa's largest and healthiest population of elephants. I know it seems a bit strange to bring this up now considering it was literally reopened in 2019, but I think it's important that not only as hunters but as conservationists figure out the cause for such stupidity and make sure it never happens again. I think my rant is partly due to the backlash from the Hollywood elite (because let's be honest, the only people upset by this are Western billionaires who've never had to work a day in their entire lives) and of course, the animal rights NGO's. Seriously, these people are either completely ignorant or are knowingly causing damage to wildlife just because of a romantic fantasy where there's zero predation from all species on Earth and everyone loves each other. Rant over lol but the discussion isn't...
 
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From what I understand khama was/is anti hunting and in bed with the jouberts...also not sure but believe he has interests in photo lodges...could be wrong though...and the okavango hunting areas were all bought by anti hunting photo operators...who also sent people touring the other hunting areas just before the ban saying photographic operations were much better as operated for longer periods through the year and had more people coming through them than hunting, so more jobs would be created....well we knew that was bullshit as most of the hunting areas outside the okavango are useless for photographic....and well that's what happened no photo operations moved in ..so all unemployed...and then plenty animal/human problems leading to them taking things into their own hands and poaching increasing...then masisi was elected and listened to the people on rural areas ..had studies done and reopened hunting...
 
All very valid points. It’s never going to be the folks on sites like this that need to be won over: they’re already there and, because of desire and interest are generally across the issues and application. It’s those first world audiences that have lost touch that they are part of a wide food chain and have become detached from their food and its production. To many the barcoded lump of meat in the plastic wrapping isn’t probably seen as having been an animal let alone killed and processed.

The romanticised image of wildlife unity seems to have been largely untarnished by the plethora of wonderful wildlife programmes that show off nature in all it’s brutality.

The conundrum we face is how to push the reasoned and rational agenda based on facts and experience (whilst always being cognisant we are an interested party) and not appearing overly aggressive and emotional. We’ll never get that group two standard deviations from the mean but the huge middle ground that may well listen to the arguments both for and against and we might stand a very good chance of positively engaging and shifting attitudes.

Celebrity is fickle and, when popular opinion is against their stance, that stance will mostly adjust to become more in line with what that popular opinion requires of them
FN
 
From what I understand khama was/is anti hunting and in bed with the jouberts...also not sure but believe he has interests in photo lodges...could be wrong though...and the okavango hunting areas were all bought by anti hunting photo operators...who also sent people touring the other hunting areas just before the ban saying photographic operations were much better as operated for longer periods through the year and had more people coming through them than hunting, so more jobs would be created....well we knew that was bullshit as most of the hunting areas outside the okavango are useless for photographic....and well that's what happened no photo operations moved in ..so all unemployed...and then plenty animal/human problems leading to them taking things into their own hands and poaching increasing...then masisi was elected and listened to the people on rural areas ..had studies done and reopened hunting...
Quite correct Ian Khama had shares in wilderness safaris which he apparently purchased with government funds. It was all over the news shortly after the last elections. Game numbers have dropped significantly in Botswana over the last two decades and hunting was fingered out as the culprit. locals were in the habit of rolling over permits for animals so instead of taking a quota they usually took as much as they pleased. There was also an incident where the BDF were caught with a few animals on the back of their truck! That being said the reason IMO for the game decline is simply that they are being eaten out of house and home by loxidonta africana- the African elephant. The Chobe bushbuck for one is now very scarce since their habitat has been destroyed. When Eric came to power he opened up hunting (on state land) and lifted the ban on elephant hunting. I don’t think that the dept of wildlife had enough time to come up with a plan due to political pressure to open hunting resulting in a real stuff up! We had locals apply for and win a permit to hunt an elephant who had never even touched a rifle in their lives! Then there was the elephant raffle where locals were pushed out of having an opportunity to get quote simply because they were outbid by operators who had overseas backers. This has not gone down well with the locals who believe that they should be allowed to have a chance to profit from their own countries resources. By locals I mean the poor regular folk in the community where the elephants are to be found not the wealthy businessman or cattle barons.
 
Totally agree with you on the cause of the decline John.
Image1610913615.384352.jpg


Not the greatest pic but shows some of the habitat devastation in Chobe. There’s just not much left for the plains game. Hunting won’t solve this. 400 permits doesn’t do much when there is an overpopulation of likely 100,000 animals. A major cull is needed but we will probably just see an ecological disaster with a massive die off.
 
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Why? - large amount and variety of valuable natural resources, low pop densities, known political connection between Botswana pres and China and the ecotourism investment and promotion by China. Eco tourism is a ploy, a convenient political smokescreen cover or front for environmental ravages of unregulated resource extraction- from strip/open pit mining, to hardwoods, to precious gems, to ivory and animal products, etc. Hunting safari operators have had the vested interest in, thus provided for the long term health and protection of all facets of the system. Therefore, hunting is inconveniently “in the way” of Chinese interests which take no interest in environmental health at any level.

Connect the dots
 
Dept of Wildlife found a huge stash of ivory in a warehouse near pandamatenga shortly after Khama was ousted. No one seems to know where or how this got there......
 
Why? - large amount and variety of valuable natural resources, low pop densities, known political connection between Botswana pres and China and the ecotourism investment and promotion by China. Eco tourism is a ploy, a convenient political smokescreen cover or front for environmental ravages of unregulated resource extraction- from strip/open pit mining, to hardwoods, to precious gems, to ivory and animal products, etc. Hunting safari operators have had the vested interest in, thus provided for the long term health and protection of all facets of the system. Therefore, hunting is inconveniently “in the way” of Chinese interests which take no interest in environmental health at any level.

Connect the dots

Was done when Khama was president...so just saying president not great for masisi who at least has reopened hunting...
 
Yep a string of Khamas dating quite a ways back. IIRC the Chinese point man was the last Khama's brother.
 
When visiting Chobe NP in 2013 the elephant population seemed to rival the prairie gopher numbers in southern Alberta. They were destroying the natural habitat, causing soil erosion and destroying the habitat for plains game. On a ferry boat trip on the Chobe river, at one point i counted 214 elephants within 100 yards of the boat. Park officials estimated that there were up to 200,000 elephant in Botswana and were very concerned about the impending hunting ban and habitat destruction that would continue. I hope that reinstituting hunting will reverse this man made disaster, but it will take a long time. So much for the anti hunting fraternity saving the animals.
 
When visiting Chobe NP in 2013 the elephant population seemed to rival the prairie gopher numbers in southern Alberta. They were destroying the natural habitat, causing soil erosion and destroying the habitat for plains game. On a ferry boat trip on the Chobe river, at one point i counted 214 elephants within 100 yards of the boat. Park officials estimated that there were up to 200,000 elephant in Botswana and were very concerned about the impending hunting ban and habitat destruction that would continue. I hope that reinstituting hunting will reverse this man made disaster, but it will take a long time. So much for the anti hunting fraternity saving the animals.
I believe the elephant population will eventually be culled to a healthy number. Again, as you said, it might take a while but it will happen eventually. It's funny how the anti-hunting organizations intentionally ignore (unless they're stupid) how other iconic species of Botswana are under constant pressure due to the overpopulation of elephants. One example would be the Kalahari lion. Thought to be the largest lions in the world yet you don't hear any of the anti-hunting crowd discussing ways to boost the numbers back up to a desirable level.
 

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