Botswana’s proposals to lift its hunting ban and to introduce elephant culling has fuelled political posturing, denials, misinformation, and lobbying from pro hunting and culling groups. But what does the group that has the most to lose, the photo tourism industry, have to say on the matter? The hunting ban The release of the report was timed as elections in Botswana loom and clearly aimed at garnering the rural vote, has stirred a heated debate [...]

A report by Elephants Without Borders claiming ‘a significant poaching outbreak is ongoing in at least four distinct hotspots’ in Botswana has provoked government ire. Anyone who saw the results of the 2014 Great African Elephant Census knew it was only a matter of time before the poaching tsunami hit Botswana. The census led by Elephants Without Borders (EWB) was a shocker: Africa is losing elephants to poachers at an average of one every 15 [...]

The results of the recent and most extensive elephant population survey of Botswana estimates the country’s population at 126,000 elephants, a further decline from 131,600 reported in 2014. The report shows repeated evidence of significant increases in elephant poaching in four hotspots in Northern Botswana, which started a media storm last year. This report by Elephants without Borders (EWB) comes after the cabinet sub-committee presented their pro hunting report to President Masisi on Thursday last [...]

We have come a long way in working towards a better future for elephants – let’s not turn back the clock now by letting the ivory trade regain a foothold.     Elephants have been in the news a lot lately and I recently heard someone say that the media is “tired” of elephants and there is “issue exhaustion” on the topic of ivory trade. However, developments coming to the fore last week demonstrate that [...]

BY ANDREAS WILSON-SPATH  - 21 NOVEMBER 2018 Archive Photo: Lions seen at Willie Jacobs’s farm, Ukutula Lodge on July 31, 2015 in Brits, South Africa. (Photo by Gallo Images / Rapport / Herman Verwey). Are we about to see the end of one of South Africa’s most infamous practices – captive lion breeding for hunting and trading of their parts? If Parliament adopts the recommendations of a hard-hitting new report released last Tuesday, the days [...]

Dear Jytte, Tomorrow, many of us in the U.S. will spend the day surrounded by loved ones, reflecting on everything we're thankful for. We wanted to take a moment to tell you how thankful we are to you — for all you do for wildlife. Your emails, your calls, your gifts, and so much more. We hope the thanks expressed by our Congo team gives you a sense of some of the many ways that [...]

© Janissa Ng / WWF-Singapore BEIJING, China (29 October 2018) – WWF expresses its profound concern over China’s announcement today that it has legalized the use of tiger bone and rhino horn from captive bred animals by hospitals, and domestic trade in antique tiger and rhino products. WWF urgently calls on China to maintain the ban on tiger bone and rhino horn trade which has been so critical in conserving these iconic species. This should be expanded to [...]

BY LOUISE DE WAAL  - 25 SEPTEMBER 2018.  Reports of elephant poaching in Botswana are under the spotlight with various claims in national and international media that the current adverse situation is driven by anti-poaching budget cuts, disarming of anti-poaching units, poachers being spoilt for choice with wildlife finding a safe-haven in the country, and even the trophy hunting ban. There is no doubt that these factors play some part in the rising elephant [...]

DON PINNOCK- 19 JULY 2018.  Photo: Nathan Rupert (Flickr) The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) has increased South Africa’s lion bone export quota from 800 to 1,500 a year, despite being aware that some skeletons are being exported to known wildlife traffickers in Asia. It also thereby sanctions the existence of lion slaughterhouses. After a document was leaked in North West, the government this week finally made public its decision to almost double the [...]