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From The Hunting Report:

Botswana Closes Lion Hunting
(posted October 26, 2007)

The southern African country of Botswana has abruptly suspended all lion hunting again, ostensibly because of concerns over the number of lions being killed in defense of livestock in certain areas of the country. I have that from Sarel van der Merwe, Chair of the African Lion Working Group. "As a precautionary measure, the Department has taken a decision not to issue any lion hunting quota until further notice," van der Merwe writes in a press release that crossed my desk this morning.

This is the second time that Botswana has closed lion hunting. The first closure was in 2002, and it lasted until December 2005, at which time a minimal harvest of one cat per concession was authorized. No one we spoke with this morning was willing to speculate on when - or if - this closure will be lifted.

"We are compiling a response to the minister's order," says Debbie Peake of Mochaba Developments in Maun. "We want to be sure they have good information about the status of lions in this country."

As this is written, we understand Botswana outfitters are contacting all of their lion clients to see how they want to handle bookings for 2008 and beyond. The worry at this point is where the reduction in hunting opportunity in Botswana is going to end. Already, quotas on most animals, except for elephant, have been gradually reduced in recent years. One observer this morning called the move a "gradual throttling of the hunting industry." Looming in the background is the imminent naming of Ian Khama as President of Botswana. Khama has said publicly he intends to close hunting altogether when he becomes the nation's fourth president next April.

On the bright side, closing hunting is not a foregone conclusion by any means. For one thing, sustainable use of wildlife resources in Botswana is official national policy, and hundreds of thousands of Botswana citizens directly profit from sustainable use. Trying to close hunting by presidential decree could create a political firestorm. Then there is the "problem" of Botswana's elephant population. Botswana has so many elephants it simply can't halt the harvest of jumbo. In fact, while quotas on other animals have been reduced recently, elephant quota has been increased. What may be emerging here is a smaller, highly specialized hunting industry focused largely on elephant hunting.

In next month's issue, we will have much more analysis and news to pass along. In the meantime, if you have a lion hunt booked in Botswana, get in touch with your outfitter.

[Emphasis added]

From another board (2005):