Injury to trophy hunter re-ignites calls to ban licences to shoot Namibian elephants

The trampling of a Namibian trophy hunter by an elephant has raised the debate around hunting permits issued for the country’s gravely endangered desert elephants.

As reported in the Namibian newspaper New Era, a Namibian professional hunter sustained multiple injuries when a young elephant bull attacked him in the Uukwaluudhi Conservancy. He is now recovering in hospital.

The victim was assisting a German hunter who owns a hunting safari company. He was given a permit by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET) and the professional hunter was helping him to identify the best elephant suitable for hunting.

The bull was subsequently shot by environmental officials and the meat distributed to the local community. It was the second elephant to be killed in the region in recent weeks.

Continued

Controversy grows as first desert elephant shot

Posted by: CJ Carrington / posted on June 23rd, 2014

With the world still reeling from the tragic poaching death of Satao, the iconic Kenyan tusker, news that Namibia has just followed through on killing the first of the Namibian Desert Elephants on Saturday, is causing another outcry.

The Namibian Government, seemingly unfazed by the recent international outrage and negative publicity surrounding the issuing of up to six permits to hunt desert elephants, ignored offers by conservationists to buy these permits to save the elephants and allowed hunters to shoot the first of these elephants last Saturday.

The elephant nicknamed ‘Delta’ was shot in a non-trophy hunt operated by Nick Nolte Hunting Safaris – the same hunting outfitter that had rejected an alternative offer from lodge owner Basil Calitz, who commented: ‘If it was truly a case of the communities benefitting from own use, why was the offer to purchase the permit, replace the meat, and set up sustainable food production programs denied? The long-term benefit, financial and otherwise, would have far surpassed this controversial and suspiciously timed kill.’

Continued