There can be some positive effects from hunting wild elephants. Just ask villagers in Botswana, Africa who have new problems now that their country banned wild elephant hunting last year.
Villagers in Mabele, Botswana tell the Business Insider they are being hit once by the loss of hunting revenue and again when the elephants tromp through their vegetable fields.
“All the years when elephants were hunted, it was not like this,” a 35-year-old mother of seven children, told the AFP news agency. “The first time I saw the damage, I was shattered. I thought, ‘The elephants have eaten it all, life’s not good anymore’.”
In the past, the local government issued hunting quotas that allowed a certain number of elephants to be hunted. Those permits were sold for thousands of dollars to foreign trophy hunters. With that revenue now erased, an environmental minister told the news agency the answer was tourism. Botswanan environment minister, said the tourism industry was the way forward.
“Hunters only employ people during the hunting season. (Tourism) is throughout the year, that’s why we prefer it.” Tshekedi Khama told AFP.
© Mrallen | Dreamstime.com – African Elephant – Okavango Delta Photo
