The government of the Republic of Botswana initiated a hunting ban of game wildlife in all controlled hunting areas or hunting management units throughout the country at the beginning of the year. The ban is temporary, while studies are conducted into the many reasons there have been declines in certain wildlife populations. Without getting into a discussion of the pros and cons of hunting, we applaud those in Botswana who are focusing their efforts on understanding the impact of such diverse factors as human-wildlife conflict, habitat fragmentation, illegal hunting, controlled hunting, etc.