Botswana Wildlife Dilemma

Ron Thomson

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by Ron Thomson

Note from the Editor

The attached article BOTSWANA'S Wildlife Dilemma first appeared in the "African OUTFITTER" magazine in the March/April 2014 issue. Thank you to "African OUTFITTER" magazine for giving permission to share it here on AH.

It was written by Ron Thomson, a veteran Rhodesian game warden (now author) with 56 years of hands-on wildlife management experience. His African big game hunting score boggles the mind. He has recently completed his big game hunting memoirs in a six book series; and has already started publishing, on KINDLE, what will undoubtedly become a very large compendium of extraordinary African big game hunting stories in a mini-book format. To learn more about this author, his remarkable hunting experiences, and his big game hunting books, have a look at his website: www.ronthomsonshuntingbooks.co.za.


Addendum: In 2013 the official government elephant count in Botswana was 207 000 - an increase from 155 000 in 2008; and other animal species have declined by "on average 60 percent; some species by as much as 90 percent" (government admission). And the animal rightist NGOs are saying that the elephant in Africa in declining and facing extinction. Hah! I could say a lot about THOSE pronouncements! Hwange (in Zimbabwe) SHOULD be carrying just 2 500 elephants. It has over 50 000; Gonarezshou (in Zimbabwe) SHOULD be carrying just 1000, it is currently carrying more than 11 000 - and the US Fish and Wildlife Service have banned legal elephant trophies from being imported into America because (it 'says') it is concerned that the annual hunting quotas out of Hwange and the Gonarezhou areas is not sustainable?????? I am busy writing a new book - "ELEPHANT CONSERVATION" (sub-titled "The Elephant Crisis Controversy Unpacked") in which I shall be "revealing all" - which will undoubtedly put a lot of people's noses out of joint!
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Botswana could be a first rate safari destination if they could control their elephants. Need habitat and protection from poaching. Bruce
 
The antis see this.....they will just blow it off. I wonder if SCI has this data, and if so have they presented this to USFW? One must start to wonder...
 
Thank you for sharing
 
enjoyed reading this again...

Thank you Ron for sharing...
 
the jerk who runs usfws,who does he answer to and why does he still have a job that he has no business having???
 
Botswana could be a first rate safari destination if they could control their elephants. Need habitat and protection from poaching. Bruce

Ron ran an excellent article about the elephant population a couple of issues ago and just how big of a problem it is. Great, factual article.
 
I have read numerous of Rons books. He has dedicated his life to conservation. It's a pity that emotion seems to trump facts and research.

Ron correct me if I am wrong but you said in one off your books the "greatest threat to African wildlife is animal rightist."
 

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