23 Elephants, One Big Conservation Debate

Botswana is home to more elephants than almost anywhere on Earth. So why has the decision to authorise 23 elephant hunts caused such an outcry?

There are few sights more African than a herd of elephants moving through the bush. We love photographing them, watching them at waterholes and simply sitting quietly as they pass.

But for communities living alongside these giants, the relationship can be far more complicated.

Botswana recently authorised licences for 23 elephants to be hunted as part of the country's 60th Independence celebrations. The meat is intended to benefit rural communities, while the government maintains that regulated hunting can form part of its wildlife-management strategy.

The announcement has been strongly criticised by conservation and animal-welfare groups.

Botswana's elephant challenge

Botswana has an estimated 130,000 elephants, making it home to the world's largest elephant population.

That sounds like a conservation victory – and it is.

But large elephant populations also bring enormous challenges. Elephants can destroy crops, damage infrastructure and create potentially dangerous encounters with people and livestock.

For someone visiting Botswana on safari, an elephant may represent an unforgettable wildlife experience.

For a farmer whose crops have just been destroyed, the same elephant can represent something very different.

And this is where African conservation gets complicated.

Who benefits from wildlife?

At KhakiBush, we believe one of the most important questions in conservation is simple: what does wildlife mean to the people who live alongside it?

If communities are expected to tolerate the costs and risks of living with elephants, they need to see meaningful benefits from conservation too.

That doesn't automatically answer the question of whether hunting is right or wrong. But it does remind us that conservation cannot be designed entirely from a distance.

There are no easy answers

Should elephant populations be managed?

Should hunting be part of that management?

Should communities receive greater financial benefits from wildlife tourism and conservation?

These are difficult questions, and reasonable people will disagree.

What shouldn't get lost in the argument is the bigger picture.

Africa's wildlife needs protection, but so do the people sharing the landscape with it.

Keeping the conversation alive

Few experiences compare to watching a family herd of elephants crossing a river or seeing a tiny calf tucked safely beneath its mother.

That's the Africa we all want to protect.

But protecting that future means understanding the realities on the ground – and recognising that conservation is rarely black and white.

The 23 elephants may have started a debate, but perhaps the bigger question is how Africa finds a future where both its wildlife and its people can thrive.

This article is written by Craig Mitchell, KhakiBush Magazine editor, conservationist, guide, adventurer, photographer, videographer and explorer. Craig personally guides safari and adventure expeditions, sharing his passion for Africa's wild places through authentic wildlife encounters, remote landscapes, and unforgettable experiences.

Keywords: Botswana elephants, elephant conservation, Botswana wildlife, African conservation, elephant hunting, human-wildlife conflict, wildlife management