Botswana’s booming elephant population has boosted photo tourism—but also sparked growing unrest. In some areas, elephants now outnumber people two to one, with rising reports of destroyed crops and deadly attacks. As anger builds, trophy hunting is being used as part of the solution. Dealer Debbie Peake defends it as “a good conservation tool”, but global pressure to ban the practice is mounting, with several European governments restricting trophy imports and threatening outright bans. For local farmer Leungo Motlakaleso, the reality is stark: “During the night, they break in, they eat our crops.” He says communities rarely see the promised returns from hunting revenues. The increasing rate of elephant attack fatalities is causing tensions to rise. Walona Sehularo from the NGO Elephants for Africa works on educating villagers and promoting non-violent deterrents to keep elephants and people safely apart. She explains: “it raises fear in the community. Not many people want to conserve what they fear”.