In September, conservationists in Botswana discovered 87 dead elephants, their faces hacked off and tusks missing. Poaching, the researchers warned, was on the rise. The news had international repercussions. Botswana had been one of the last great elephant refuges, largely spared the poaching crisis that has swept through much of Africa over the past decade. […]
Tag: African elephant
Disturbing Photo Shows Elephant Hacked Apart With Chainsaws by Hunters
A drone camera has captured a disturbing image of the trophy-hunting crisis: Lying dead on the ground in Botswana is an elephant with injuries that look to have been inflicted by hunters with chainsaws. Photographer Justin Sullivan captured the picture of the African elephant, whose trunk and tusks appear to have been sawed off, just […]
Lift ‘unfair’ ban on ivory trade, southern African leaders urge summit
Southern African leaders have renewed calls for a lifting of the ban on the ivory trade as debate over the “unfair” embargo escalates. At a wildlife economic summit in Zimbabwe, leaders of the five countries that make up the Kavango-Zambezi conservation area – Zimbabwe, Botswana, Zambia, Angola and Namibia – raised the issue ahead of […]
Trophy hunting ‘imperial’ and ‘unsustainable’
A colonial attitude remains pervasive among those who defend the trophy hunting of elephants. They argue that ‘the west’ must stop lecturing Africans about how to manage their elephants. But it was Western hunters who shot elephants out to the point where they had to establish reserves, dispossessing and crowding out local communities in the […]
Petition: Keep Ban on Ivory Trade and Protect African Elephants!
Ivory may appear beautiful when used in jewelry, carvings, or instruments, but the deadly truth behind it is the complete opposite of beautiful. It’s made from the tusks of animals, usually elephants and about 20,000 elephants are killed every year for their tusks. The World Wildlife Foundation (WWF) explains that elephants use their tusks for […]
Botswana condemned for lifting ban on hunting elephants
Conservationists have reacted with outrage and concern to a decision by Botswana to lift its ban on elephant hunting. The southern African country said the move was justified by an increase in population and its impact on farmers’ livelihoods. “The whole world is turning away from hunting. It is increasingly seen as an archaic practice. […]
New Law Named After Cecil The Lion Could Place Prohibitions on Trophy Hunting in the US
It’s been four years since the story of Cecil the Lion sparked a global outcry. Cecil was a lion monitored by Oxford University at Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park. Cecil’s familiarity with humans made him exceedingly friendly, and the cat quickly became adored by locals and tourists alike. When Cecil was shot and killed by an […]
Hunter Who Gunned Down 5,000 Elephants Brags About ‘Thrill’
At least one trophy hunter, it seems, is admitting what we already knew: Killing gives him a “great thrill.” Ron Thomson of Zimbabwe has purportedly slaughtered thousands of animals, including 40 leopards, 50 hippos, 60 lions, 800 buffaloes, and 5,000 elephants. And he admits that he “didn’t have any sentiment” and is “totally unrepentant.” Thomson […]