Safari lands king in trouble

Spain’s 74-year-old king came under scathing criticism yesterday for going on an expensive elephant hunting trip in Botswana’s northern Okavango region amid the nation’s deep financial woes.

Making matters worse, an accident on the trip sent King Juan Carlos into surgery. Doctors said yesterday that he was recovering well after a hip replacement but would not be able to resume full duties for more than a month.

His son, 44-year-old Prince Felipe, was nominated to fill in for his father, who Spain’s government relies on to patch up diplomatic disputes, boost international trade and serve as the country’s high-profile liaison.

Tomas Gomez, Madrid’s regional Socialist party leader, said the time had come for the head of state to choose between his public responsibilities “and an abdication that would allow him to enjoy a different lifestyle”.

Spanish newspapers were filled with accounts of how hunting trips to Botswana, where Juan Carlos fell, cost more than most Spaniards earn in a year. El Pais, Spain’s leading newspaper, said the cost to arrange a hunting trip in Botswana to kill an elephant usually comes in at €44,000, about twice the country’s average annual salary.

Spain is currently perceived as the weakest link in the 17-nation eurozone, and many investors fear it could become the next country to seek an international bailout.

But the country with the eurozone’s No 4 economy is seen as too big to bail out. Unemployment stands at nearly 23% — nearly 50% for young workers — and Spain is expected to slide into its second recession in three years soon.

Juan Carlos had a hip replacement early Saturday, and by yesterday had begun walking with crutches, said Angel Villamor, a spokesman for San Jose hospital, where the king is recovering.