Botswana has so many elephants it approved the killing of 23 this week for independence celebrations

Botswana's government has authorized the killing of 23 elephants to supply meat for the country's independence day celebrations this week. The decision applies to hunting licenses issued across various districts nationwide.

The move has drawn criticism from conservationists as well as one of Botswana's former presidents. The country is known for having a very large elephant population, which serves as the context for the cull authorization.