An Appeal To The Government of Botswana

Understand that it pains me deeply to have to do this as Botswana has always been close to my heart and to date, I have been a fierce supporter of this country. It is a country that has been very good to us as a family.
However, the decision by the government to reverse the Ian Khama ban on trophy hunting of animals must be objected to in the strongest terms.
The Minister’s explanation of why this has occurred smacks of artful deception using half-truths and convenient reasoning. It is unprincipled from start to finish.

1. “Conservation?”
He has trotted out the now standard lie that this course of action “Serves Conservation”.
This is the same thing as saying that animals do not have a right to life and must be made to pay for that right.
a) Surely such thinking is diabolical and, at the very least, morally, logically and ethically reprehensible and demeans us as a species??
b) In, any event, it is a downright lie. I am attaching pictures, that I took at Kasane, showing jam-packed photo-safari boats. There were 4 of these boats. For the week that I was at Kasane every one of them was jam-packed every day, even though, it was by no means cheap to be on one of these.
It is obvious that photo-safaris and other bush and wild-game experiences can be successfully configured so as to commercially exploit human love, fascination of, and interest in animals that does not involve killing them.

2. Bloodlust
Let us be clear … very, very clear ... I mean VERY CLEAR.
The whole hunting industry is predicated on the notion/culture that gratuitously taking the life of another creature is “enjoyable”. That is the fundamental premise that is being served.
It is diabolical, if not satanic.
Yes we do kill. But we do this out of necessity. We do this in order to eat. That is how nature, or God, structured the rules of survival.
However no normal human being “enjoys” killing. Only a pervert can enjoy killing. It is that simple.

There is nothing good, justifiable or commendable about gratuitously shooting a 76-year-old bull elephant in its prime, so that you can take pictures, posing on its body, in order to validate yourself as a human being. Only a pervert can imagine that this is good.

There is nothing good about shooting an astoundingly beautiful creature like a leopard, unmindful and uncaring of the fact that it may have cubs waiting for their mother in a den, cubs that will now die slowly and painfully.

Only a pervert can imagine that this is good.
These are the FACTS.
They cannot be denied or wished away.

3. Analogy … satanic reasoning.
The Minister’s argument is, with respect artful, hypocritical and mendacious as it has equal diabolical merit if applied to pedophilia.
Botswana could become an enormously rich country in no time at all if it were to make its young girls and boys available for the perverts that abound on this planet.
It could then advance the same argument that this is necessary so as to raise money to fund the education and development of the rest of its young girls and boys.
The same logic applies to both matters.

4. Dragging in tribal folk.
Claiming that this has the approval of the indigenous humans is perniciously artful. These desperate people are not being given any other or better option.
It is that simple.

Conclusion
Botswana is truly blessed. I first realized this in September 1975 when sitting in our camp at Savuti surrounded in every direction by animals of very description like we were in the Garden of Eden.
The one night the baboons started to bark, followed by monkeys screeching, with buffalo bellowing, elephants trumpeting and lions roaring in a cacophony of sound that made the ground vibrate.
I felt how insignificant I was in this wondrous scheme of things.

Botswana now has five times less animals than it had in 1975.
Its natural resources should be viewed as a sacred trust and not abused.
I assume that the government is acting in good faith. However, it is all too often the case that "the road to hell is indeed paved with good intentions".
Please join me in appealing to the government to review its decision and adopt a course of responsibility, love and caring for this wonderful country and its creatures.

Let us insist that Botswana needs to be an example to the rest of mankind not an accomplice in uncaring mindless cruelty in the service of perverts and at the altar of monetary gain.

Please share far and wide.

Note: I have read an extremely detailed paper on this issue by Joseph E. Mbaiwa of the University of Botswana and he concludes that hunting should be supported.
However, his paper simply omits the issues raised here that, to my mind, are fundamental.
I have emailed him and asked him to respond to my stance.
Two weeks later he has not done so.