DEADLY FAILURE OP-ED: A collar was not enough: Botswana’s failure to protect its research elephants from trophy hunters
The killings of two satellite-collared elephant bulls raise a much larger question than whether their collars were somehow overlooked: what is the point of declaring research animals protected if the state institutions responsible for wildlife cannot prevent hunters from killing them?
Two satellite-collared elephant bulls were tragically killed by trophy hunters in Botswana on September 3 and 4, raising serious questions about the effectiveness of protected research status. The Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) officials were reportedly present, yet both elephants - identifiable research animals - were shot.
This failure to prevent the killings highlights a deeper issue in Botswana’s wildlife management system and the ethics of trophy hunting. Despite previous promises to prevent such incidents, two more collared elephants have now been killed, casting doubt on the effectiveness of the regulation and enforcement mechanisms. Trophy hunting is defended on the basis of its selectivity, but the ability to identify and assess a collared elephant raises serious questions about the standards of these hunts.
The ethical burden lies on those intending to kill the animal to establish beyond reasonable doubt that it is legally and ethically available to be killed. Without effective enforcement mechanisms to ensure this, protection is merely lip service.
Written by urgent.news from Daily Maverick's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
