Wanted: buyers for 170 elephants. This striking advertisement appeared in a Namibian newspaper this week. Placed by the government of the African country, which is in a balance between the interests of nature conservation and those of the local population.
The elephants are being auctioned because there are too many in parts of the country. Due to drought, they move to places where there is more water, but where they also come into conflict with the local population. “They loot fields and sometimes make victims”, says elephant expert Christiaan van der Hoeven of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF).
According to figures from the Namibian authorities, the number of elephants in the country has risen spectacularly since 1995: from 7,500 at the time to about 24,000 last year. The country has received a lot of praise for this, but last year Namibia said it was considering canceling international agreements on the trade in endangered animals. The government also wants to allow more hunting tourism, for example trophy hunting. In their own words, the wildlife population would be protected with the proceeds.
Not a long-term solution
Van der Hoeven doesn’t think towing hundreds of elephants is a good idea, but he also understands the decision to get rid of the 170 animals. For the long term, other solutions are needed, he emphasizes. “You have to connect nature areas with each other, relieve the pressure in places where there are too many. Make sure they can move from place to place, even across the border, create corridors.”
Namibia seems to impose strict requirements on buyers, especially foreign ones. The latter must have the approval of nature conservation authorities in their country. Still, Van der Hoeven is not completely reassured: “You don’t want them ending up in some disadvantaged neighborhood in China.”
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