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Nqobile Bhebhe in Gaborone, Botswana

BOTSWANA has rallied Southern African countries to speak with one voice against the United Kingdom’s planned trophy hunting ban, which has the potential to cripple economic and conservation efforts in the entire region.

British legislators in the House of Commons are this month set to debate a Bill designed to close out trophy hunting imports in that country.

Trophy hunting is defined as a practice of killing large animals such as elephants, lions and tigers for sport.

Hunters often keep the heads or other parts of the animals for prestigious display.

After the defeat of a similar effort at the House of Lords last year, Labour’s John Spellar has launched a Private Members Bill to ban hunting trophies. 

If passed, the move could prevent British hunters from importing body parts of lions, elephants and giraffes — the animals that fetch significant foreign currency revenue, Zimbabwe included.

There is a strong consensus among Botswana tourism players that the entire Southern African Development Community (Sadc) region must galvanise and be united against the Bill, as it has the potential to disrupt economic gains in the whole region.

Botswana has earned millions of dollars by allowing trophy hunters to shoot and kill a limited number of elephants and other animals each year. 

The country has one of the world’s largest elephant populations at more than 130 000, and wildlife hunting has a direct economic value to locals and beyond the non-consumptive tourism value chain. 

Briefing Sadc journalists drawn from Zimbabwe, Namibia and South Africa in Gaborone yesterday, Environment and Tourism Minister Dumezweni Mthimkhulu expressed confidence that regional countries will again render much needed support.

He indicated that several Western European countries have in the recent past proposed more stringent requirements for hunting trophies to enter their countries.

The minister said countries that undertake hunting have over the years faced opposition from animal rights and animal welfare non-governmental organisations based in Europe and North America.

These groups have succeeded in lobbying for more stringent regulations to be put in place by their governments. 

He said they have also been very persuasive during CITES where they have been instrumental in convincing parties to adopt increasingly onerous conditions to trade in CITES listed hunting trophies.

“Countries like the United Kingdom and France are in the process of considering legislation, which prohibit hunting trophies from entering their territories while others like Canada and Belgium have even gone as far as to completely ban the import of hunting trophies,” said Minister Mthimkhulu.

“It must be pointed out that only a few of these countries have consulted countries where the trophies originate from contrary to recommendations from CITES that urge countries to consult range states prior to enacting stricter domestic measures.