Namibia: the sale of elephants at auction is controversial

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N.Bertrand, L.Chaussoy, J.Barrère – France 2

France Televisions

Elephants are a protected species which tends to disappear, except in Namibia. In this country from southern Africa, they are indeed manyand do not give gifts to men, by attacking vegetable gardens and gardens. To regulate their population, the Namibian government has decided to auction 170 pachyderms.

On the huge expanses of northern Namibia, there are a few villages lost in the bush and, around them, wild elephants that no longer seem welcome. There are too many elephants according to the Namibian government, which has decided to sell 170 at auction. A controversial decision, because the species is protected by international conventions.

According to the Namibian government, there are 24,000 elephants in the country. They would even be more and more numerous. Impossible numbers at check. What is certain is that for some inhabitants, cohabitation with pachyderms has become a burden. Regularly at Awakening, residents of a village notice the damage caused by elephants when they pass through their garden. Their vegetable garden is also devastated. It would be to limit this kind of conflict that the authorities would have auctioned off these elephants. Animal protection associations are protesting against the sale of this species in danger of extinction.


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