• acargitz@lemmy.ca
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    28
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    edit-2
    7 months ago

    The debate is about legalized and ostensibly regulated trophy hunting by tourists. So “Europeans” presented as a monolith here is confusing things: some of those trophy hunter tourists are European, who obviously don’t care about elephants, which is why other Europeans are trying to stop them.

    The president of course is correct to say that it is unreasonable for the Global North to demand that Botswana does not develop its standards of living in order to preserve wildlife. It is a colonialist way of seeing things.

    The answer cannot however come from the destruction of the elephants, who are humanity’s shared heritage. Europeans have a stake in Botswana’s elephants as humans same as Botswanans have a stake in, say, the Parthenon or Stonehenge: as humans, as a shared human heritage.

    The answer should instead be for the Global North to pay to Botswana development subsidies, increasing them as needed to achieve the required balance. So that standards of living can improve without needing to endanger the elephants.

    • emergencyfood@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      10
      arrow-down
      7
      ·
      7 months ago

      Europeans have a stake in Botswana’s elephants as humans same as Botswanans have a stake in, say, the Parthenon or Stonehenge: as humans, as a shared human heritage.

      Europe had its elephants too. Lions once lived in southern Europe, and wolves in Britain. Aurochs roamed all of Europe except Scandinavia. Wonder where all that shared heritage went.

      • acargitz@lemmy.ca
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        11
        arrow-down
        3
        ·
        edit-2
        7 months ago

        That’s a silly argument. Lions for example haven’t lived in southern Europe since antiquity. If you’re going to ask pointed accusatory questions of the Greeks for the fate of lions, go and ask the same of the indigenous people of North America about the fate of giant sloths. The concept of managed biodiversity conservation is a modern one.

        • emergencyfood@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          4
          arrow-down
          9
          ·
          7 months ago

          I’m not blaming the ancient Greeks or the ancient Americans. They, as you said, knew no better. I’m blaming the modern Europeans (and North Americans) for not re-introducing these animals to their lands, and expecting Africans to do everything.

          • acargitz@lemmy.ca
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            6
            arrow-down
            2
            ·
            7 months ago

            I’m sure the elephants would be thrilled to have their biome arbitrarily swapped out from under their feet 🙄

            • emergencyfood@sh.itjust.works
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              1
              arrow-down
              2
              ·
              7 months ago

              I’m sure they’d be overjoyed to go to a place where thich cares so much about them! (Also, what about the Botswanans you’re asking to move out of their ancestral lands?)

      • BluesF@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        5
        arrow-down
        2
        ·
        7 months ago

        The Europeans of today do not have any way to influence what the Europeans of the past did.

        • emergencyfood@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          5
          arrow-down
          3
          ·
          7 months ago

          No, but they do have the power to set aside land for the conservation of megafauna. Not doing that and asking poorer countries to do it for them is just hypocrisy.

          • BluesF@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            4
            arrow-down
            2
            ·
            7 months ago

            Very true! Although to be fair there are many conservation-focused nature preserved in Europe where a variety of animals live. Outside of their natural habitat some degree of human intervention is necessary to keep them alive so perhaps just having elephants roaming the Czech countryside isn’t practical… Or perhaps I don’t know what I’m talking about and they’d love it!

            • emergencyfood@sh.itjust.works
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              2
              arrow-down
              3
              ·
              7 months ago

              there are many conservation-focused nature preserved in Europe where a variety of animals live.

              Yes, but none with elephants or lions. Even wolves are controversial, despite being far less dangerous than either.

              just having elephants roaming the Czech countryside isn’t practical

              But elephants roaming the Botswanan countryside is?

              • BluesF@lemmy.world
                link
                fedilink
                arrow-up
                2
                arrow-down
                1
                ·
                7 months ago

                My point is the elephants already live in Botswana, releasing them into Europe without a managed environment wouldn’t necessarily be good for the elephants.

                • emergencyfood@sh.itjust.works
                  link
                  fedilink
                  arrow-up
                  1
                  arrow-down
                  2
                  ·
                  7 months ago

                  Managed in what way? Elephants (different species, similar ecology) historically lived in Europe, so they can definitely thrive there. There will need to be some changes in vegetation, landscape, etc., but elephants can alter the landscape and vegetation to their requirement.

  • TropicalDingdong@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    32
    arrow-down
    9
    ·
    7 months ago

    I’ve never met an elephant who staged a coup when their party of redneck facists failed to win a general election.

  • krolden@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    22
    ·
    7 months ago

    If rich people can trophy hunt elephants than I get to trophy hunt rich people

  • GONADS125@feddit.de
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    13
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    7 months ago

    Elephants are incredible animals. They have complex communication and even communicate through seismic vibrations through the ground via their feet, and they can even recognize the elephant sending the seismic message. Additionally, they have cultural practices, including funeral rituals.

    For citations for these claims and more information, here is a blog post of mine (I have ads turned off and don’t benefit from my blog in any way).

  • headset@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    11
    arrow-down
    4
    ·
    7 months ago

    If Europeans are SO worried about the planet maybe they can start by replanting their forests before sticking their nose in other countries.

  • randomname01@feddit.nl
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    9
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    7 months ago

    Honestly very disappointed in the comments here. There’s a valid point to what he’s saying, and the “have you met people?” line of thinking just talks right past that.

  • Wahots@pawb.social
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    8
    arrow-down
    2
    ·
    edit-2
    7 months ago

    We can’t just kill every animal we don’t like. Elephants, wolves, bears, etc. all play an incredibly important role in the health of our ecosystems and help keep plants and animals healthy. Sometimes, they keep nuisances at bay, too, or keep stuff like prion diseases in check.

    I get that elephants can eat crops or wolves can eat cattle, but we’ve managed to build space shuttles and end worldwide diseases through amazing vaccine campaigns. I’m sure we can rewild some major areas and build better, non-lethal deterrants in others.

    It’s helped restore Yellowstone’s biodiversity and drive incredible amounts of tourism after the wolves were reintroduced.

  • Cryan24@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    5
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    7 months ago

    “Why don’t you for a moment experience living with them? That’s why this offer was made to yourselves to have them in Hyde Park”

    Don’t threaten me with a good time 😋

  • تحريرها كلها ممكن@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    3
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    edit-2
    7 months ago

    Europeans did a lot of bad things to Africa, including Botswana. Misdirected care seems the least harmful thing they have done. If I were Botswana’s president I’d be happy with this progress.

    • emergencyfood@sh.itjust.works
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      7 months ago

      European-style ‘fortress conservation’ often ends up displacing people. Conservation that is controlled by local communities is equally good at protecting wildlife, and ensures that the economic benefits are not stolen by outsiders.