Elephants in the wild? That’s what Botswana’s President Mokgweetsi Masisi now wants for Germany. What happened? Federal Environment Minister Steffi Lemke (Greens) wants to ban the import of hunting trophies. This didn’t go down well in Botswana.
“If the Greens know everything better, they and Lemke should show how to live together with elephants without hunting,” said Masis, President of Botswana, to “Bild” and would like to send Germany 20,000 wild elephants. “That’s no joke”. Where do the animals go if they really come? Is keeping them allowed in Brandenburg?
20,000 elephants for Germany? Expert has his doubts
Sonni Frankello is the owner of the elephant farm in Platschow, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Its site borders directly on Brandenburg. “If the elephants want, they can spray water into Brandenburg with their trunks,” he says. He laughed at the news of the new animal arrival and would even take some in himself if it came to that, he says with a smile.
He considers it unrealistic that the 20,000 elephants in Germany would survive. The damp cold in winter would be too stressful for many of the pachyderms. “In Africa the temperatures also go below zero. But the cold there is dry,” says the expert.
Elephants are “generally very peaceful animals”
The giant herbivores are survival artists and quite clever, as Fankello explains. “They can smell up to 15 kilometers away and can orientate themselves very well,” he says. If the gray giants were simply released into the wild, they would first head for larger cities and eat everything that came their way.
A window pane through which a plate of fruit can be seen would not be an obstacle for elephants, as Frankello explains. But elephants are not a direct threat as long as their privacy is respected. “They are generally very peaceful animals.”
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If they still feel threatened, they use mock attacks to keep enemies away, Frankello continues. Elephants would live in groups and protect their family.
Sonni Frankello knows the animals very well. He grew up in a circus family. His great-grandparents already had elephants – a family business for generations. While children usually grow up with hamsters, cats or dogs at a young age, Frankello had his first elephant when he was 15 years old. “I don’t live for them, but with them,” he says. The elephant whisperer is now over 60 years old.
Botswana is experiencing an overpopulation of elephants
By the way, he can understand the anger in Botswana. Some regions, such as Botswana, are experiencing an overpopulation of elephants. “There is a large river delta there. And when there is drought, they just go where there is water,” says Frankello.
Even if he fundamentally rejects hunting, elephant hunting is important in many countries. It brings money into the country and promotes tourism. “If no hunters come, the animals would simply be poisoned,” explains the elephant expert. That would be an even bigger catastrophe.
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According to the “Bild” report, Botswana now has more than 130,000 elephants. 8,000 animals have already been given away to Angola, Mozambique still has to collect its quota. “And we would like to make such an offer to the Federal Republic of Germany. We don’t take no for an answer,” emphasizes Masisi.
Elephants in Germany: Private keeping is hardly possible
However, he believes keeping elephants privately in Germany is unrealistic, says Frankello. Theoretically, however, it is feasible. Strict regulations apply, which are anchored in the Animal Welfare Ordinance. “That’s a good thing,” he emphasizes. Not everyone should be able to own an elephant; they need a lot of space and have to be able to socialize.
„The minimum enclosure size is 2000 square meters,” says the Federal Ministry of Food and Agriculture’s husbandry regulations for mammals. Frankello adds: “You also need a warm shelter for the winter, care knowledge and a special certificate for keeping mammals.”
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The process from application to approval is a long and costly process, as he can say from his own experience. In addition, the gray giants would be over 60 years old. “An elephant husbandry lasts for generations. “You can’t just hand the animals over to the animal shelter,” explains Frankello.
Eight elephants live in Sonni Frankello’s elephant farm. To ensure that the animals are kept as species-appropriately as possible, the boss gives them tasks. “Sometimes I hide the food or take them into the forest for a hike,” he says.