9/21/26 - Botswana’s Elephants Deserve More Than Promises of Protection
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Reports that trophy hunters killed two research elephants renew concerns about Botswana’s hunting safeguards—and recall CWI’s protest against the reopening of elephant hunting in 2019.
Two elephant bulls wearing satellite research collars were reportedly killed by trophy hunters in Botswana earlier this month. The accounts raise serious questions about the safeguards governing these hunts and the responsibility of those charged with overseeing them.
Writing in Daily Maverick on September 20, Adam Cruise describes the reported killings as a failure of wildlife oversight. His op-ed says Department of Wildlife and National Parks officials were reportedly present during the hunts.
An earlier Africa Geographic report, citing sources within government circles, places the killings in Controlled Hunting Area CT2 on September 3 and NG41 on September 4. It reports that both hunting parties said they noticed the collars only after the elephants were dead, despite observing the animals at close range before shooting.
Botswana has confronted the killing of a research elephant before. After a collared bull was shot in November 2019, the government stated that killing collared animals was “not permitted under any circumstances.” Its December statement also confirmed that a wildlife officer had accompanied that hunting party. The Botswana Wildlife Producers Association subsequently reported that two professional hunters had voluntarily surrendered their licenses.
The latest reports warrant a public accounting of what happened, which protections applied, and whether those responsible for enforcing them fulfilled their duties.
For CompassionWorks International, the issue reaches back to Botswana’s decision to reopen elephant hunting under then-President Mokgweetsi Masisi.
On May 31, 2019, CWI held an early-morning protest outside the Venetian in Las Vegas during Masisi’s visit for the JCK jewelry industry event. His opening keynote was part of a breakfast hosted by De Beers Group. CWI organized its demonstration in opposition to the lifting of the elephant hunting ban, bringing that objection to a venue where Botswana’s president was addressing an international business audience.
We subsequently called for a boycott of all tourism to Botswana until they change course.
That history reflects a continuing principle: CWI opposes killing elephants for trophies. Our concern extends to every elephant selected for a hunt, whether or not that animal wears a research collar.
Botswana’s government defended reopening hunting partly on the grounds of human-wildlife conflict and rural livelihoods, while promising an orderly and ethical process. Communities living alongside elephants deserve serious attention to their safety and economic needs. Those needs should be addressed through investment in coexistence, locally informed nonlethal measures, and livelihoods that protect living wildlife.
CWI believes the response to these reports must include a transparent investigation and publication of its findings. Authorities should explain the applicable permit conditions, the responsibilities of accompanying officials, and any enforcement action taken. Researchers and affected communities deserve an account they can assess, rather than another assurance that everything is under control.
Accountability for these particular hunts is necessary. CWI’s opposition to trophy hunting also asks a broader question about the choices governments and industries make: why continue selling opportunities to kill elephants when protecting their lives should be the objective?
We protested the reopening of elephant hunting in 2019. The reported deaths of these research elephants give us further reason to insist that Botswana change course. Elephants deserve a future beyond the trophy trade.
