Gaborone: Botswana, home to worldu2019s largest elephant population, will hold its first major auction for trophy elephant hunting quotas since scrapping a hunting ban last year.
The sale will be conducted by a local firm from the premises of the Ministry of Environment, Nature Conservation and Tourism in the capital Gaborone.
President Mokgweetsi Masisi raised the ire of conservationists in May when he revoked a moratorium, just a year after he succeeded Ian Khama, an avid environmentalist, who introduced a blanket ban in 2014 to reverse a decline in the population of wild animals.
Masisi fended off criticism of his governmentu2019s decision, saying the move would not threaten the elephant population.
Agencies Botswana to auction elephant hunting licences Bidders must make a refundable deposit of 200,000 pula ($ 18,300) to participate. Representative pic
