Independence Day in Botswana was marked by a high number of deaths, with 39 dying at last weekend's celebration; there was also a very high number of traffic violations

Herds of endangered hippos, stuck in the mud of dried-up ponds, risk death in drought-stricken Botswana, conservation authorities made known, while at local level are calling for hippos to be relocated to reserves to protect villagers

'Europeans care more about elephants than people around them, Westerners see elephants as pets', Botswana's president Mokgweetsi Masisi said amid regional tensions over poaching and controversy on potential import bans on trophy hunting

President Masisi threatened to send 20.000 elephants to Germany after criticism that Botswana issues permits to hunt pachyderms and allows to bring home trophies; thanks in part to past conservation efforts, more than 130.000 elephants live in the country

The 2024 World Happiness Report surprisingly shows that Botswana is one of the unhappiest countries in the world, ranking 137th out of 143, surpassing even coup-affected countries such as Mali and Chad