Botswana has an elephant problem — there are simply too many of them. That is why, when Germany proposed to enact stricter limits on import of hunted trophies, Botswana's president clapped back. Botswana's President Mokgweetsi Masisi on Wednesday (April 3) threatened to send 20,000 elephants to Germany.

Botswana alone is home to about 130,000 bush elephants – about half of the region's numbers. It is a big country with a small population of two million people, comparable in size to France, which has a population of 67 million. For every 15 people in Botswana, there is about one elephant.

Allowing elephants to be hunted is an "important means to keep them in check," Masisi said, arguing that Germany's attempt to ban hunting trophies would cause Botswana further harm and claiming that sending 20,000 elephants to Germany would alleviate the pressure.