Animal rights activists dey para say Botswana kpai 23 elephants for independence celebrations

Animal rights activists don criticise Botswana decision to authorise di killing of 23 elephants to provide meat for independence celebrations.

Di southern African kontri, wey be home to di world largest elephant population, hold nationwide festivities on Wednesday to mark di 60th anniversary of independence from Britain.

One licence wey local media see and wey di Ministry of Environment and Tourism issue bin issue, authorise hunting of 23 elephants and oda wild animals for "complimentary purposes".

Di Botswana-based Elephant Protection Society warn say di decision fit undermine conservation, as dia chairman Oaitse Nawa tell di BBC say elephants need greater protection.

E warn say slaughtering elephants for celebratory feasting fit encourage poaching by creating di impression say killing elephants dey acceptable wen e dey approved by govment.

"Elephants don lose dia social structures becos dem always dey pushed from one place to anoda by gunshots," Nawa tok.

Several social media users for di kontri don also express concerns about eating di game meat amid outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease, wey don prompt authorities to impose measures to contain di spread.

Tshenatshe Monwela, one elder for Maun wey be tourism town for north-western Botswana tell local media say im community suppose don receive buffalo instead.

E argue say elephants get particular cultural and ecological significance and say Botswana historic role in protecting di kontri wildlife and livestock suppose dey recognised for di govment allocation of meat for di anniversary celebrations.

Botswana govment don organise a series of events to mark di kontri diamond jubilee, including a carnival for di capital, Gaborone, as well as cultural performances, concerts and sporting events.

Di game meat dey expected to dey served as part of di traditional feasting associated wit di Independence Day celebrations.

Di 23 elephants dey allocated for eight districts across di kontri.

E no dey immediately clear how many of di animals dem don kill by Wednesday morning. Di BBC don ask di govment for comment.

But local media publish images from different parts of Botswana wey show how residents dey gada around elephant carcasses, some wit knives for dia hand and sharing di meat.

For Chobe, a wildlife-rich district for northern Botswana near di borders wit Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, one local MP raise concerns afta residents reportedly collect portions directly from a carcass for one school.

E say di system risk creating congestion and disadvantaging elderly pipo, pregnant women and pipo wit disabilities, and suggest say di meat suppose dey processed into 5kg or 10kg packages to improve hygiene and ensure fairer distribution.

"For di sake of dignity, fairness and public hygiene, we respectfully call on di hunter and di relevant leadership to ensure say future distributions dey properly organised," MP Simasiku Mapulanga post on Facebook, and attach fotosof pipo wey dey scramble for meat around one elephant carcass.

Elephant meat dey common for some wildlife-rich communities, particularly wen meat from legal hunts dey distributed locally, but e no be evri day staple.

Botswana also dey tightly regulate game meat, and di legal possession generally dey depend on how pesin fit prove say e come from lawful hunt.

Di decision don reignite a long-running and often heated debate for Botswana ova how di kontri dey manage dia huge elephant population.

Botswana get more dan 130,000 elephants and communities wey dey live alongside dem for long don complain about animals wey dey destroy crops, damage property and sometimes dey kpai pipo.

Di govment don defend regulated hunting as one way to manage di elephant population and human-wildlife conflict while generating income for communities.

Di kontri bin ban trophy hunting for 2014 under former President Ian Khama but lift di restrictions five years later under im successor, Mokgweetsi Masisi.

Hunting don continue under President Duma Boko, wey defeat Masisi for 2024 election.

Di govment say money wey dem get from hunting dey support conservation and local development.

Minister of Environment and Tourism Wynter Mmolotsi tell parliament last year say special elephant quotas bin raise 15.6m pula ($1.1m; £820,000) in 2025 for projects for areas wia elephants dey.

But conservation organisations don question weda di level of hunting dey sustainable.

Supporters of Botswana hunting policy, however, argue say international criticism often dey overlook di costs wey rural communities wey dey live alongside one of di world biggest concentrations of elephants dey bear.

Dem say elephants dey destroy crops and infrastructure and pose danger to pipo, particularly as dis range dey increasingly overlap wit farms and settlements.