New research by Elephants Without Borders warns that Botswana’s wildlife authorities may now be killing as many elephants as poachers
GAZETTE REPORTER
Botswana’s own wildlife authorities may now be killing elephants at levels comparable to poachers, according to a new scientific assessment by conservation organisation Elephants Without Borders (EWB).
The report raises alarm over a sharp spike in elephants killed under Problem Animal Control (PAC) and warns that the combined impact of poaching and state-sanctioned killings could undermine the sustainability of Botswana’s elephant population and trophy hunting sector.
PAC ELEPHANT KILLINGS SURGE DRAMATICALLY
The report reveals a startling rise in elephants killed by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks (DWNP) as part of efforts to manage human-elephant conflict (HEC). Between 2010 and 2020, DWNP killed an average of 10 elephants annually, with yearly totals ranging between zero and 34.
But after 2020, the numbers surged. In 2021, DWNP killed 91 elephants. In 2022, the number remained high at 90, and in 2023 it climbed to 146, according to EWB.
“Since 2021, the number of elephants killed each year by DWNP may be on the same order as the number being killed by poachers,” the report states.
POACHING REMAINS RELENTLESS
Poaching in Botswana has remained relatively stable at around 100 elephants per year, mostly targeting mature bulls. Earlier EWB research recorded 156 poached carcasses during 2017–2018 aerial surveys, estimating total losses at around 400 elephants in poaching hotspots.
The new analysis confirms that poaching remains active. Between October 2023 and May 2025, researchers documented 120 freshly poached elephants, particularly in NG15 and NG18. During a separate six-month anti-poaching operation, authorities intercepted seven armed gangs and confiscated 103 tusks weighing nearly three tonnes.
DOUBLE PRESSURE MAY UNDERMINE SUSTAINABILITY
The report warns that high poaching rates combined with rapidly rising PAC killings could “cumulatively influence hunting outcomes,” especially because both poachers and hunters disproportionately target older bulls.
Even current poaching levels already affect trophy sizes and the availability of mature bulls. Yet DWNP has never released data on the age or sex of elephants killed under PAC, a major gap that hampers scientific assessment.
“Killing bulls will have a larger and more immediate impact,” the report notes, adding that research across Africa shows older males are most involved in crop-raiding, making them more likely to be targeted during conflict responses.
CALLS FOR TIGHTER QUOTA CONTROLS
EWB warns that if hunting quotas are set without considering poaching losses, Botswana risks overhunting.
The report recommends strengthened aerial surveillance of poaching hotspots and systematic mortality monitoring. It concludes that Botswana’s elephant management strategies must urgently integrate poaching data and PAC trends “to ensure long-term sustainability of the population and the industries dependent on it.”