Botswana wildlife producers discontent with UK’s Prohibition Bill

The Botswana Wildlife Producers Association expressed discontent against the United Kingdom’s Hunting Trophies or Import Prohibition Bill. 

The bill tabled in the UK’s Parliament in 2022 seeks to prohibit the import of hunting trophies into the UK.

Speaking at a media briefing recently in Gaborone, the Chairperson of the Wildlife Producers Association, Leonard Matenje, says the proposed bill will have a negative impact on communities that depend on hunting.

He says species classified as endangered and vulnerable in the Bill, such as giraffes, leopards, hippos, and African elephants, are in no way vulnerable in the southern African countries.

Although few trophies are currently imported into the UK from Botswana, the ban will have a systematic impact on the viability of the hunting industry in many African countries.

ignored, as there is no evidence that hunting in Botswana or in Southern Africa is leading to species declining to levels of being endangered species as reported.

Dumezdweni Mthimkhulu added that any support for the ban or restrictions on the importation of hunting trophies will be detrimental to the conservation efforts in Botswana. 

They therefore called on the UK to consult communities on the ground that directly benefit from trophy hunting.

Currently, Namibia, Botswana, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Zambia highly benefit from trophy hunting.