I've been to Botswana in 2008 and had a rather interesting conversation with one of our guides. To begin with, poaching is hardly a problem there since you hav

I've been to Botswana in 2008 and had a rather interesting conversation with one of our guides. To begin with, poaching is hardly a problem there since you have clean government and punishment for poaching is draconian. He disclaimed what he said with we won't like it (he's right). In Botswana you can buy a very expensive license to hunt Elephants. It's strictly controlled and you have a government representative monitoring you at all times and you get one try. Since so much of Africa is in turmoil Botswana has an overabundance of Elephants (those smart animals can sense where they're safe and migrate en masse to Botswana, which is a problem for the environment) so that I can understand where he's coming from and it's not that black and white. All that said: Yeah, I fucking don't like it. For starters: Elephants are just awesome creatures in so many respects. If I would have to describe them with one word this would be Zen. I also do not understand where the challenge is. You have some super high tech, monstrous weaponry and shoot such a huge animal. Hell! If you look for a challenge hunt field mice, not elephants. Shooting elephants, legally or not, indicates to me unhealthy sociopathic tendencies in a person. In no way do I want to discourage people to follow your suggestion (which I think is awesome) and there's no doubt that poaching is a huge problem in big parts of Africa. I just thought I could add some personal experience to the discussion. On a side note: If you ever have a chance to visit Botswana by all means: Do it. It was a life changing experience. And go camping with a tour operator, instead of staying in (very expensive) lodges. Not only is it far more affordable, you actually get to stay deep in the game parks. Lodges are outside, since commercial operations are not allowed in the (strictly controlled) parks. You can go individually, when you have a reservation, but only get to stay at the camp site near the entrance.