Nearly 90 elephants killed at Botswana sanctuary for their tusks

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In a protected Botswana sanctuary, the bodies of 87 elephants, stripped of their tusks have been killed these past few weeks. According to the conservation group, Elephants Without Borders, five rare white rhinos were poached and killed in the same area.

“People did warn us of an impending poaching problem and we thought we were prepared for it,” stated Mike Chase, a spokesperson for the nonprofit organization.

According to the BBC,  Botswana is home to the largest elephant population in the world, however the population has declined by 30 percent in the last decade because of poaching. Most of the elephants live in legally protected areas. The dead animals were discovered near the Okavango Delta wildlife area – a popular tourist destination for viewing elephants and other endangered wildlife.

Tragically, the increase in poaching has occurred just one month after President Mokgweetsi Masisi took office in Botswana and disarmed the poaching units in May.

“… the government has decided to withdraw military weapons and equipment from the Department of Wildlife and National Parks.”

No explanation was ever given in an area where a shoot to kill policy against poachers prevailed. Now it’s become open season for poachers where the world’s largest elephant population still live, according to Dr. Chase.

(Photos via screenshots Elephants Without Borders and BBC News)

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6 COMMENTS

  1. Sounds like the new president is pocketing money on the side. Coincidence that just one month after he took office he disarmed the units where poachers are likely to strike? Something needs to be done to protect these elephants in a sanctuary where they are supposed to be protected!

    • African “leaders” are not only mercenary, greedy, totally devoid of a conscience and compassion, empathy, a heart & soul. Elephants are sweet, gentle, intelligent animals. The depraved degenerates in the Far East who use powdered rhino & elephant horns to increase their sex appeal & “prowess,” might as well let these precious animals live and be happy. They will still be ugly, gimpy, scrawny & repulsive.

  2. I think that disarming the units that protected these elephants was a calculated move by the new president and I hope there is an investigation of that as well as who the poachers are that killed these elephants. There are enough natives who do care about these elephants and work tirelessly to protect them. This president has done them a disservice by taking the tools away that they need to protect these elephants. Hope this gets resolved quickly and no more killing of elephants, only killing of poachers is allowed.

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