Why shooting elephants is the new form of conservation

Image result for MP Kosta Markus images
MP Kosta Markus

Nature is so precious and beautiful but is always under threat of destruction by those who don’t mind the tourism industry. However in a new twist turns out there is a country with too many wild animals that they are now devising strategies of eliminating the lovely creatures.

Botswana has the most elephants in the world which roam free. Numbers are disputed but conservation groups say there are around 130,000, though MP Kosta Markus believes it is actually closer to a 250,000.

He has tabled a motion in Parliament to reintroduce elephant culling in the country after a four-year ban.

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The motion to lift the ban on hunting elephants has angered wildlife campaigners.

But Markus says the northern part of the country, where the elephants live, only had the capacity to sustain a population of 60,000 elephants.

“Elephants encroach into where people settle. I’m proposing all elephants found in areas that are games reserves or national parks should be reduced. I’m proposing all elephants found in areas that are games reserves or national parks should be reduced,” he said.

Image result for images of elephants in Botswana

“The only way is to shoot them. Shooting elephants or hunting them is a form of conservation – that’s the way to conserve.”

He said that communities could have quotas and make money from trophy hunting – and this, in turn, would reduce poaching.

Awhile back conservationists revealed Carcases of nearly 90 elephants had been found near a famous wildlife sanctuary in Botswana.

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Elephants Without Borders, which was conducting an aerial survey, said the scale of poaching deaths was the largest seen in Africa.

The spike coincided with Botswana’s anti-poaching unit being disarmed.Botswana has the world’s largest elephant population, but poachers have been breaching its border.

Despite a lack of fences on the international border, data from tracking collars showed elephants retreating from Angola, Namibia and Zambia and deciding to stay within the boundaries of Botswana where it was thought to be safe.

Do you think the bill’s suggestion to shoot the elephants is okay?

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