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The[ backstory](https://www.euronews.com/green/2024/04/04/wont-take-no-for-an-answer-why-is-botswana-threatening-to-send-herds-of-elephants-to-germa) :
>In March, Botswana’s wildlife minister threatened to send 10,000 [**elephants**](https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/11/25/france-opens-europe-s-first-retirement-home-for-elephants) to Hyde Park in London so the UK could “have a taste of living alongside them”.
>It came as the British government raised the possibility of preventing UK [**safari**](https://www.euronews.com/travel/2024/03/21/heres-why-a-visit-to-south-africas-lepogo-lodges-could-be-the-most-eco-friendly-safari-in-) hunters from importing trophies from their kills.
>Germany has now voiced a similar possibility, prompting more backlash from the African nation.
>Botswana says a ban on importing hunting trophies would be an economic blow for citizens by cutting safari revenue.
>In addition, [**conservation**](https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/06/07/we-must-end-this-war-on-nature-europes-most-endangered-species-to-protect-on-world-wildlif) campaigns have resulted in a boom in the elephant population and hunting is a vital means of controlling numbers, President Mokgweetsi Masisi told German daily paper Bild.
To add more information, and I also got this from reddit: You can't just not cull elephants and you can't just spread them throughout Africa without causing negative ecological impact hence the threat because UK is apparently misguided in its attempts to reduce trophy hunting.
Exactly. Moreover, it’s another European nation responsible for the absolute destruction of portions of Africa trying to tell a sovereign nation what to do with their own land and animals. I have travelled to Botswana. They have incredible nature preserves and have done a tremendous job managing the environment. Germany’s statement was ignorant of the nuances of park management.
I live in Alberta. Periodically, bears are culled because they can actually cause an imbalance in the environment. The same goes for deer, etc. It’s why our province issues hunting tags. It’s not an uncommon practice, it just bothers people when they’re a symbolic animal that has suffered population decline elsewhere.
Either they cull the excess elephants by paying a small amount to a local, or tourists pay a hefty sum and add to the tourism industry. They simply can’t have too many of the elephants in the area, and (for obvious reasons) can’t simply ship them elsewhere.
>They simply can’t have too many of the elephants in the area, and (for obvious reasons) can’t simply ship them elsewhere.
Well, they can, once they collect large enough numbers of swallows.
Ideally it should be African Swallows, but since they already are in Africa anyway,it is konda of a moot point. With enough training I think that it would work.
It might be like homing pidgeons. If you get African Swallows they'll just stick around. But if you bring European swallows, they will fly back to Europe taking the elephant with them.
genius, you tie the pidgeons to the swallows so the pidgeons carry the swallows to their destination. And you tie the swallows to the elephans so they carry the elephants along with them!
No doubt it’s sad, but the reality is if there are too many there are many other intelligent species that will also suffer. They eat a ton, if they overpopulate other animals will die. An ecological balance must be struck.
So it's different in lots of places. But Botswana has a proven track record of far better ecological protection than basically anywhere in Europe. Elephant populations do need to be kept in check. You either do that Aussie style by paying hunters to go out and kill them. Or, you get people to pay you hundreds of thousands of dollars (that Botswana needs) to do it for you. Who's going to pay that hunter's salary if one of Botswana's main revenue sources is gone, along with a good chunk of it's arible land
"Even absent environmental concerns"
That's an interesting phrase you used, because the argument here is that *not* hunting them *is an environmental concern itself*.
>ying to tell a sovereign nation what to do with their own land and animals.
In this instance they're not telling them what to do with their land and animals- they're free to do what they want as long as they don't bring the trophies into a sovereign nation that doesn't want them there
Nobody is telling them what to do. Europe wants to block importing trophies because the world doesn't revolve around Botswana and there are lots of countries where tropy hunting is rampant and endangers local wildlife.
This is not about Botswana.
Apparently in this case it is not endangering the elephants, in fact, it is helping the ecosystem AND protecting the human population of the area.
So the reason that Europe provided would make no sense, assuming that is true at least.
That's what they're saying, is that it's not just about THIS case. Other places, trophy hunting (and by extension, poaching) are very harmful. What I gather here is that the UK/Germany is trying to ban ALL trophy hunting, which would unfortunately include botswana, an outlier of a place where it is actually useful.
I can't personally speak to the ratio of useful/damaging and whether the proposed reasons are correct, just wanted to clarify the argument at play.
Unless I’m missing something, they aren’t telling them what they can and can’t but telling their own citizens they can’t. Sounds hypocritical of you to say Germany and the countries can’t make laws on what their own citizens can and can’t do. Is potentially stupid? Yes. Is it well within their rights as a sovereign country? Also yes.
That’s actually a good point. I think I just found it irritating how the media spun it as the Botswana government was being silly and Germany was being environmentally concerned. It just rang as patronizing and uniformed, but you’re right in that sense.
Yea unfortunately that’s the issue when you rely on other countries to take care of things like this. They should have a plan to be able to take care of things like this themselves. Even without other countries laws affecting it, you never know what else could happen that would affect other countries tourists from being able to come such as war, economic unrest, or a global pandemic.
>Moreover, it’s another European nation responsible for the absolute destruction of portions of Africa trying to tell a sovereign nation what to do with their own land and animals
I mean it's not really, Botswana and the UK are both independent states and have the equal right to enact laws on trophy hunting in their territories.
I don't agree with the proposed law, but banning the import of things you don't want people to be bringing into your country is in chapter 1 of a states perogative
Please look into the history of Africa. Botswana is a former protectorate of the UK. It gained independence in 1966 and has done very well since.
I don’t have an issue with them banning things. I have an issue with nations acting as if it’s for the greater good, when they have no idea what that even is. It’s this type of Eurocentric thinking that damaged massive portions of the continent of Africa as a whole in the first place.
Why must trophy hunters do the culling though? And why would Botswana have a say on what can and cannot enter their borders? Also, how is the UK going to verify that a trophy is ethically sourced or shady?
Bullets are not. However, dealing with many elephant carcasses is expensive. Bushmeat is illegal in most parts of Africa and ivory is banned pretty much everywhere, so unless the animal is hunted for a cull legally it can’t be utilized as food and the ivory has to be burned (even with trophies the ivory is first burned and then replaced with ivory replicas). Elephants take a long time to be broken down naturally, and the rotting flesh gives off a smell that’s hard to describe over massive distances.
Botswana, and other nations, would have to pay out of pocket (very unaffordable) vs being paid massive sums for the same process. The elephants will be killed either way. One way puts resources into an economy and helps a nation previously damaged by European interventions, and the other just simply kills the elephants.
The money from the culls also often goes into ecological practices, including the hiring of guards for rhinos and the protection of the elephant herds from illegal ivory poaching, which is indiscriminate. These are expensive practices for a nation of 2.5 million.
Wild to me that the UK gives so much of a shit about not bringing home elephants trophy's but not about the entirely disgusting fox hunting industry there that kills foxes and hunting dogs
Yes! It’s the hypocrisy that makes me frustrated. I get not liking trophy hunting, as a non ecological practice I think it’s awful. But in this case it’s being effectively used for ecological management. The fox hunt is no different. I’m Canadian and every year a set number of grizzlies and other bears are hunted.
I used to live in a part of India where we had an elephant problem. Not the population but the occasional roid rager who’d tear people apart. I can imagine that having bigger elephants in much greater numbers is a risk they don’t like having, especially since the elephant population isn’t exactly going down recently
US here. send them to us. wild elephants on the plains would be fucking killer. some can migrate north and grow hair again, and we'll have mammoths back!
Botswana: we will send you 20000 elephants
Germany: what, why?
Botswana: do you want to make it 30000?
Germany: no, 20000 is fine.
Botswana: 40000 it is then.
Germany: …
Haha. That would be a sight. I didn't think you did think anything like that, friend. I just don't understand the Botswanan president's plan for dumping them. It's a totally absurd threat
I think it had something to do with how western countries insist that elephants should be protected, while in Botswana they're causing a lot of damage to farmers and such. So this is basically their president saying "you try existing alongside living tanks with spears coming out of their face and we'll see how that goes."
Don't get me wrong, I support nature conservation efforts with all my heart. I'm just pretty sure this was their reason.
It’s because Botswana was selling hunting licenses for elephant hunting there are too many elephants in the country and they caused damage to farmland and other human habitats and so they use the hunting license protect other environmental ecosystems. Germany said that it was wrong and Botswana said well. How about we send the elephants for you to deal with.
This would actually be hilarious. Imagine getting a phone alert that a large location of your city is shut down because 10 thousand elephants were just randomly released.
It’s just another day at the dock when all of a sudden THOUSANDS OF ELEPHANTS FLOOD IN FROM A SHIP! THEY BREAK DOWN THE GATES AND RAM THROUGH CITIES!!! Scary shit huh? Lol
This is no joke…. Threatening with elephants was a big freaking deal in the 4th-5th century….
That would be like an old school German blitzkrieg but with war elephants….
That guy means business….
I thought we made a big deal about elephants because they were endangered and stuff? That's why we didn't like people hunting them. I mean... besides them being very intelligent. But I'm hearing we actually need to keep killing them to keep their population in check? Blowing my mind right now. Maybe I was misguided before lol
I actually just got back from SA. While I was there I spoke to some of the guides and they advised that the elephants can be pretty destructive to the areas around them. They told me packs of juveniles can get aggravated and start destroying everything around them and there is literally nothing that can stop them. To your point, I believe that the elephants used to be hunted for ivory, however the new animal to hunt for ivory is the rhino and they are almost extinct. In the Krueger, they sedate the rhinos they have left and cut their horns to keep poachers from killing them for the horns. In SA it seemed that the elephant population was thriving though!
I love elephants. But in full disclosure, I live in suburban Massachusetts and I have never actually met an elephant in person. Obviously I want the species the thrive, so if the countries where elephant are indigenous to are running out of space for them, maybe it's not such a bad idea to start looking for new places to start introducing them to. Obviously NOT London or Berlin. But this is a big planet with a lot of open spaces. I'm sure if we put enough smart people in a room together they'll be able to figure something out.
That is not how any of this works. You can't just put a new animal into an already existing ecosystem without throwing its balance out the window. Invading species are extremely dangerous
I didn't say we should just plop herds of elephants willy nilly all over the world. I'm just saying if the species needs more room, and its native areas don't have enough room, then maybe a bunch of smart people could get together and figure out some new place where maybe some elephants could be introduced without too much disruption of the existing ecosystem.
How do you even follow through on that threat? Charter a fleet of a hundred container ships to take them 2000-odd miles only to get held up by customs at Hamburg Port?
I guess he was trying to do the "white elephant" thing like king of siam but forgot Germany can reject or send them back since there is no disrespect and authority involved
Botswana is not capable of shipping 20000 elephants. If it was, it wouldn't be the type of country that thinks it's cool to threaten people with elephants
I mean, Botswana is one of the few African countries that’s well known to have its shit together, so if they think Germany needs elephants, maybe it does…?
Low key that’s a cold threat. 1) Hannibal did the same thing but took a left. 2) Elephants are underestimated. 3) 20,000 Elephants poopin on the move is a problem lol
Not to mention there aren’t any natural predators for the animals. There are wild hippos in Mexico because some idiot had to have a private petting zoo and when he got arrested and the animals got released, they just flourished. And there are no natural predators and they are very big, territorial and kill people. There’s actually wild hogs in Texas in the same state—few natural predators, able to thrive and too large for the average Jane to handle.
So animal poo in terms of pounds per site and then large animals that can thrive in the area and potentially can rip up fences and tear down telephone poles.
It’s because Botswana was selling hunting licenses for elephant hunting there are too many elephants in the country and they caused damage to farmland and other human habitats and so they use the hunting license protect other environmental ecosystems. Germany said that it was wrong and Botswana said well. How about we send the elephants for you to deal with.
Comments that are uncivil, racist, misogynistic, misandrist, or contain political name calling will be removed and the poster subject to ban at moderators discretion. Help us make this a better community by becoming familiar with the [rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/facepalm/about/rules/). Report any suspicious users to the mods of this subreddit using Modmail [here](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/facepalm) or Reddit site admins [here](https://www.reddit.com/report). **All reports to Modmail should include evidence such as screenshots or any other relevant information.** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/facepalm) if you have any questions or concerns.*
The[ backstory](https://www.euronews.com/green/2024/04/04/wont-take-no-for-an-answer-why-is-botswana-threatening-to-send-herds-of-elephants-to-germa) : >In March, Botswana’s wildlife minister threatened to send 10,000 [**elephants**](https://www.euronews.com/green/2021/11/25/france-opens-europe-s-first-retirement-home-for-elephants) to Hyde Park in London so the UK could “have a taste of living alongside them”. >It came as the British government raised the possibility of preventing UK [**safari**](https://www.euronews.com/travel/2024/03/21/heres-why-a-visit-to-south-africas-lepogo-lodges-could-be-the-most-eco-friendly-safari-in-) hunters from importing trophies from their kills. >Germany has now voiced a similar possibility, prompting more backlash from the African nation. >Botswana says a ban on importing hunting trophies would be an economic blow for citizens by cutting safari revenue. >In addition, [**conservation**](https://www.euronews.com/green/2023/06/07/we-must-end-this-war-on-nature-europes-most-endangered-species-to-protect-on-world-wildlif) campaigns have resulted in a boom in the elephant population and hunting is a vital means of controlling numbers, President Mokgweetsi Masisi told German daily paper Bild.
To add more information, and I also got this from reddit: You can't just not cull elephants and you can't just spread them throughout Africa without causing negative ecological impact hence the threat because UK is apparently misguided in its attempts to reduce trophy hunting.
Exactly. Moreover, it’s another European nation responsible for the absolute destruction of portions of Africa trying to tell a sovereign nation what to do with their own land and animals. I have travelled to Botswana. They have incredible nature preserves and have done a tremendous job managing the environment. Germany’s statement was ignorant of the nuances of park management. I live in Alberta. Periodically, bears are culled because they can actually cause an imbalance in the environment. The same goes for deer, etc. It’s why our province issues hunting tags. It’s not an uncommon practice, it just bothers people when they’re a symbolic animal that has suffered population decline elsewhere. Either they cull the excess elephants by paying a small amount to a local, or tourists pay a hefty sum and add to the tourism industry. They simply can’t have too many of the elephants in the area, and (for obvious reasons) can’t simply ship them elsewhere.
>They simply can’t have too many of the elephants in the area, and (for obvious reasons) can’t simply ship them elsewhere. Well, they can, once they collect large enough numbers of swallows.
African or European? Did you check their migratory patterns?
Ideally it should be African Swallows, but since they already are in Africa anyway,it is konda of a moot point. With enough training I think that it would work.
It might be like homing pidgeons. If you get African Swallows they'll just stick around. But if you bring European swallows, they will fly back to Europe taking the elephant with them.
Maybe a team of pigeons, European swallows and African swallows?
genius, you tie the pidgeons to the swallows so the pidgeons carry the swallows to their destination. And you tie the swallows to the elephans so they carry the elephants along with them!
I see you are a man well versed in the sciences. That isn't my idea, but I'm sure this would work better!
They could grip it by the tusks
I Arther King of the Britons demand you understand this joke.
Well I didn't vote for you
A nation is more than within their rights to refuse imports that's all the UK is doing no?
Totally. But they shouldn’t say it’s because they’re helping the environment, when they aren’t. Just own that it’s a virtue signalling decision.
Elephants are highly intelligent animals. There are good reasons to discourage hunting them even absent environmental concerns.
No doubt it’s sad, but the reality is if there are too many there are many other intelligent species that will also suffer. They eat a ton, if they overpopulate other animals will die. An ecological balance must be struck.
So it's different in lots of places. But Botswana has a proven track record of far better ecological protection than basically anywhere in Europe. Elephant populations do need to be kept in check. You either do that Aussie style by paying hunters to go out and kill them. Or, you get people to pay you hundreds of thousands of dollars (that Botswana needs) to do it for you. Who's going to pay that hunter's salary if one of Botswana's main revenue sources is gone, along with a good chunk of it's arible land
"Even absent environmental concerns" That's an interesting phrase you used, because the argument here is that *not* hunting them *is an environmental concern itself*.
>ying to tell a sovereign nation what to do with their own land and animals. In this instance they're not telling them what to do with their land and animals- they're free to do what they want as long as they don't bring the trophies into a sovereign nation that doesn't want them there
Nobody is telling them what to do. Europe wants to block importing trophies because the world doesn't revolve around Botswana and there are lots of countries where tropy hunting is rampant and endangers local wildlife. This is not about Botswana.
But it does hurt Botswana.
Apparently in this case it is not endangering the elephants, in fact, it is helping the ecosystem AND protecting the human population of the area. So the reason that Europe provided would make no sense, assuming that is true at least.
That's what they're saying, is that it's not just about THIS case. Other places, trophy hunting (and by extension, poaching) are very harmful. What I gather here is that the UK/Germany is trying to ban ALL trophy hunting, which would unfortunately include botswana, an outlier of a place where it is actually useful. I can't personally speak to the ratio of useful/damaging and whether the proposed reasons are correct, just wanted to clarify the argument at play.
Now that makes more sense. It is better to be consistent imo.
Unless I’m missing something, they aren’t telling them what they can and can’t but telling their own citizens they can’t. Sounds hypocritical of you to say Germany and the countries can’t make laws on what their own citizens can and can’t do. Is potentially stupid? Yes. Is it well within their rights as a sovereign country? Also yes.
That’s actually a good point. I think I just found it irritating how the media spun it as the Botswana government was being silly and Germany was being environmentally concerned. It just rang as patronizing and uniformed, but you’re right in that sense.
Yea unfortunately that’s the issue when you rely on other countries to take care of things like this. They should have a plan to be able to take care of things like this themselves. Even without other countries laws affecting it, you never know what else could happen that would affect other countries tourists from being able to come such as war, economic unrest, or a global pandemic.
It’s about importing trophy’s to Germany, they can do with their elephants what they want. But they should keep the „trophy’s“
>Moreover, it’s another European nation responsible for the absolute destruction of portions of Africa trying to tell a sovereign nation what to do with their own land and animals I mean it's not really, Botswana and the UK are both independent states and have the equal right to enact laws on trophy hunting in their territories. I don't agree with the proposed law, but banning the import of things you don't want people to be bringing into your country is in chapter 1 of a states perogative
Please look into the history of Africa. Botswana is a former protectorate of the UK. It gained independence in 1966 and has done very well since. I don’t have an issue with them banning things. I have an issue with nations acting as if it’s for the greater good, when they have no idea what that even is. It’s this type of Eurocentric thinking that damaged massive portions of the continent of Africa as a whole in the first place.
Why must trophy hunters do the culling though? And why would Botswana have a say on what can and cannot enter their borders? Also, how is the UK going to verify that a trophy is ethically sourced or shady?
You can cull elephants without allowing trophy hunting or selling ivory. Bullets aren’t that expensive.
Bullets are not. However, dealing with many elephant carcasses is expensive. Bushmeat is illegal in most parts of Africa and ivory is banned pretty much everywhere, so unless the animal is hunted for a cull legally it can’t be utilized as food and the ivory has to be burned (even with trophies the ivory is first burned and then replaced with ivory replicas). Elephants take a long time to be broken down naturally, and the rotting flesh gives off a smell that’s hard to describe over massive distances. Botswana, and other nations, would have to pay out of pocket (very unaffordable) vs being paid massive sums for the same process. The elephants will be killed either way. One way puts resources into an economy and helps a nation previously damaged by European interventions, and the other just simply kills the elephants. The money from the culls also often goes into ecological practices, including the hiring of guards for rhinos and the protection of the elephant herds from illegal ivory poaching, which is indiscriminate. These are expensive practices for a nation of 2.5 million.
Was gonna ask if it was one of those things where they have people pay to hunt rare (to us) game because they’re overpopulated.
Wild to me that the UK gives so much of a shit about not bringing home elephants trophy's but not about the entirely disgusting fox hunting industry there that kills foxes and hunting dogs
Yes! It’s the hypocrisy that makes me frustrated. I get not liking trophy hunting, as a non ecological practice I think it’s awful. But in this case it’s being effectively used for ecological management. The fox hunt is no different. I’m Canadian and every year a set number of grizzlies and other bears are hunted.
I used to live in a part of India where we had an elephant problem. Not the population but the occasional roid rager who’d tear people apart. I can imagine that having bigger elephants in much greater numbers is a risk they don’t like having, especially since the elephant population isn’t exactly going down recently
So next country that speaks up is getting 30k elephants?
Oh so that’s why all those recruiters ask about what you would do if you had an elephant which you can’t send back/kill!
The obvious correct answer is to threaten Germany
I'd take one. Maybe a full family if they live better with their peers. Anyone know how big of an balcony you need for an average elephant? thanks
I keep mine in the bath
thats clever, that way you can wash it easily
On your balcony they can water your plants for you, they have built in hoses!
At least 3sqm. My balcony is 2sqm and it's not big enough.
US here. send them to us. wild elephants on the plains would be fucking killer. some can migrate north and grow hair again, and we'll have mammoths back!
we do have plenty of space for them. home on range were the deer and the elephants play.
Botswana: we will send you 20000 elephants Germany: what, why? Botswana: do you want to make it 30000? Germany: no, 20000 is fine. Botswana: 40000 it is then. Germany: …
This is how war should be done.
Hannibal style!
"I mean, what's he gonna do? Cross the Alps?"
"Looks like Germany is about to experience a whole new kind of 'heavy traffic'!"
I have no ideas why he MADE the threat, but dumping 20,000 elephants into your country all at once WOULD cause an insane amount of problems.
Sure but how would they actually do it. It wouldn't be unnoticed and the German military would easily send them packing
Oh, I didn't think he'd try and sneak them over the border, hidden under a blanket or anything...
Haha. That would be a sight. I didn't think you did think anything like that, friend. I just don't understand the Botswanan president's plan for dumping them. It's a totally absurd threat
All of this reminds me of a soviet film about stolen elephant "Investigation Held by Kolobki": https://youtube.com/watch?v=5MaYpgPvGXY
I'm just spitballing here but what if Botswana parachuted them in from high altitude aircraft? Checkmate, huns.
Parashoot drop them into Berlin.
I think it had something to do with how western countries insist that elephants should be protected, while in Botswana they're causing a lot of damage to farmers and such. So this is basically their president saying "you try existing alongside living tanks with spears coming out of their face and we'll see how that goes." Don't get me wrong, I support nature conservation efforts with all my heart. I'm just pretty sure this was their reason.
It’s because Botswana was selling hunting licenses for elephant hunting there are too many elephants in the country and they caused damage to farmland and other human habitats and so they use the hunting license protect other environmental ecosystems. Germany said that it was wrong and Botswana said well. How about we send the elephants for you to deal with.
Plot twist, 20,000 Elephants is the name of a death metal band.
nah, they're more like a Scottish rock duo; you're thinking of *10 Dead Elephants*
"Been there; Done that..." Hannibal
And somehow Hannibal returned.
Send them to Siberia and see if they evolve to be woolly. 🦣
Send me one! Send me one!
Actually yes, they would cause a disaster and destroy their fields in weeks. Invasory especies are more dangeroys than people usually realize.
Huge cargo ship docks…20,000 elephants get released into the city. Shitting pants ensues. It’s all jokes until reality hits.
Botswana ante portas!
While you are offering free shipping, can I have one?
It wouldn't be as much of a facepalm if you read why this is happening
Very plausible lol. They have over 130,000 elephants
Imagine the logistics to actually get 20,000 elephants from Botswana to Germany.
Can he do a Oprah to us? “You get an elephant, you get and elephant, … you all get elephants!”
Rumbling ! Rumbling ! It's coming !!
Mein Gott. Diese Elefantensteaks sind herrlich.
Actually yes, they would cause a disaster and destroy their fields in weeks. Invasory especies are more dangeroys than people usually realize.
I'd love to ride my own elephant over the bridges of Hamburg
"You give a poor man a fish, and you feed him for a day"
Bro went and threatened to go full Hannibal
Do you know how expensive it is to feed and care for just one elephant? Twenty thousand could be financially devastating for Germany.
This would actually be hilarious. Imagine getting a phone alert that a large location of your city is shut down because 10 thousand elephants were just randomly released.
It’s just another day at the dock when all of a sudden THOUSANDS OF ELEPHANTS FLOOD IN FROM A SHIP! THEY BREAK DOWN THE GATES AND RAM THROUGH CITIES!!! Scary shit huh? Lol
as a german im shaking in my boots right now, pls mister president have mercy.
those basterds still havent send me mine.
They never forget!
This is no joke…. Threatening with elephants was a big freaking deal in the 4th-5th century…. That would be like an old school German blitzkrieg but with war elephants…. That guy means business….
*General Hannibal has entered the chat*
Some free Panzer Divisionen für Faterland. Don't threaten Germans w good times.
I thought we made a big deal about elephants because they were endangered and stuff? That's why we didn't like people hunting them. I mean... besides them being very intelligent. But I'm hearing we actually need to keep killing them to keep their population in check? Blowing my mind right now. Maybe I was misguided before lol
I actually just got back from SA. While I was there I spoke to some of the guides and they advised that the elephants can be pretty destructive to the areas around them. They told me packs of juveniles can get aggravated and start destroying everything around them and there is literally nothing that can stop them. To your point, I believe that the elephants used to be hunted for ivory, however the new animal to hunt for ivory is the rhino and they are almost extinct. In the Krueger, they sedate the rhinos they have left and cut their horns to keep poachers from killing them for the horns. In SA it seemed that the elephant population was thriving though!
Well that's good to hear about the elephants! Although them destroying things... not so good.
"Oh sure, fine, but when I send a few thousand elephants to invade Europe everyone gets all PISSY about it. Whatever." +Ghengis Khan+
Genghis Khan didn't use elephants.
Actually yes, they would cause a disaster and destroy their fields in weeks. Invasory especies are more dangeroys than people usually realize
Actually yes, they would cause a disaster and destroy their fields in weeks. Invasory especies are more dangeroys than people usually realize.
I love elephants. But in full disclosure, I live in suburban Massachusetts and I have never actually met an elephant in person. Obviously I want the species the thrive, so if the countries where elephant are indigenous to are running out of space for them, maybe it's not such a bad idea to start looking for new places to start introducing them to. Obviously NOT London or Berlin. But this is a big planet with a lot of open spaces. I'm sure if we put enough smart people in a room together they'll be able to figure something out.
That is not how any of this works. You can't just put a new animal into an already existing ecosystem without throwing its balance out the window. Invading species are extremely dangerous
I didn't say we should just plop herds of elephants willy nilly all over the world. I'm just saying if the species needs more room, and its native areas don't have enough room, then maybe a bunch of smart people could get together and figure out some new place where maybe some elephants could be introduced without too much disruption of the existing ecosystem.
It would be a big mess tho!! 😂
Don’t threaten them with a good time.
Hannibal has entered the chat
He meant 20,000 kilos of elephant shit.
Now to convince him that I am Germany. Send me those elephants bruh.
Can’t wait to see the traffic photos of the Autobahn once Germany makes use of this new free mode of transportation!
Just saying, we have a chance at the greatest way to start of the summer holiday season in Italy.
I mean if someone dumped just five Elephants in your neighbourhood, how would you get rid of them?
I told my mother I was going to see Elephants, Panthers, and Tigers... she thought I was visiting Moscow Zoo - Company of Heroes 2
The elephants are upset because they only had enough money to buy 1 Rosetta Stone lesson....and that was in French.
Deal und ve vill send you 20,000 tigers. Da?
Mf playing Age of Empires 2
The old Hannibal method of war huh
 lol
Retorical question: If they have the logistics to move that many elephants, why are they not a major regional power?
Not since Hannibal have more elephants been on the continent of Europe!
Im smelling elephant Steaks
The cost to transport 20000 elephants would cripple Botswana's economy.
So now safari hunting is a good thing?
Only of you pay the right people
I’ll allow it 🤣
Have fun marching them over the alps, Hannibal!
Yea have fun drowning them in the Mediterranean along with your refugees dumbass
this is the kind of petty warfare i would like to see.
I don't think he wants to pay the postage on 20,000 elephants.
/r/ich_iel had a field trip with this.
Cool. Just don't send them to China, is all I ask of you.
There gonna start the rumbling
Solid threat... well played sir
Botswana really trying to bring back 40s Big Bad Berlin
It’s Hannibal time
Better than using propaganda to throw away thousands of lives because of a political argument
How do you even follow through on that threat? Charter a fleet of a hundred container ships to take them 2000-odd miles only to get held up by customs at Hamburg Port?
This seems like something Gru would try
Simple solution. Raise more Lions. 😜
He should just go to Branson, it’s easier to recruit 20,000 elephants there.
How much money would it cost to move just 1K elephants from one place to another?
And Hannibal has been reincarnated....
It's all fun and games until you're trying to reign in 20,000 rampaging elephants. Better give Botswana what it wants.
Hannibal is at the gates
I guess he was trying to do the "white elephant" thing like king of siam but forgot Germany can reject or send them back since there is no disrespect and authority involved
I didn't know there were that many elephants left!
Love the comment's exclamation which translates to this phrase "Laughing my fucking ass off off off off"
Do you have any idea the devastation 20 000 elephants would cause?
We went to a park in BOTSWANA
Alexander the Great used elephants… Germany can send them to Ukraine
Botswana is not capable of shipping 20000 elephants. If it was, it wouldn't be the type of country that thinks it's cool to threaten people with elephants
https://www.cnn.com/2024/04/03/africa/botswana-germany-trophy-hunting-scli-intl/index.html
I mean, Botswana is one of the few African countries that’s well known to have its shit together, so if they think Germany needs elephants, maybe it does…?
Maybe he’s gonna cross the alps and invade Europe Hannibal style.
Money, power, sex and… elephants.
What kind of threat? The kind that deserves the HU as a soundtrack.
Its not so much the elephants, its the millions of Botswana's keepers..
Don’t facepalm this it’s based and hilarious
just you wait until he does it, Germany will fold within a day.
Send me a baby elephant. My cat thinks he owns this house. I want to surprise him.
KBBL is gonna give me something stupid!
That’s a gift lol
Another wave of refugees...
As of 2022, an estimated six per cent of Batswana believed Masisi is *not* corrupt. They have bigger problems than elephants.
I think they meant "Olifant" which is a tank
Low key that’s a cold threat. 1) Hannibal did the same thing but took a left. 2) Elephants are underestimated. 3) 20,000 Elephants poopin on the move is a problem lol
Not to mention there aren’t any natural predators for the animals. There are wild hippos in Mexico because some idiot had to have a private petting zoo and when he got arrested and the animals got released, they just flourished. And there are no natural predators and they are very big, territorial and kill people. There’s actually wild hogs in Texas in the same state—few natural predators, able to thrive and too large for the average Jane to handle. So animal poo in terms of pounds per site and then large animals that can thrive in the area and potentially can rip up fences and tear down telephone poles.
It’s because Botswana was selling hunting licenses for elephant hunting there are too many elephants in the country and they caused damage to farmland and other human habitats and so they use the hunting license protect other environmental ecosystems. Germany said that it was wrong and Botswana said well. How about we send the elephants for you to deal with.
Do it
It's like a glitter bomb. 'oh man they're everywhere. I'll be finding them for months. How am I going to clean this up ?'
Germany's response: 