"Canned" Game Hunting To Be Outlawed
CAPE TOWN— Lions bred in captivity to be shot and killed by a pleasure-seeking tourist. Rhinos felled by bow and arrow for fun. Zebras bred with donkeys to slow their escape from hunters.
A panel of experts highlighted the darker side of South Africa's booming wildlife industry on Tuesday and recommended a total ban on "canned hunting"- the release of captive-bred animals to be killed for sport with no chance of escaping their human predators.
Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said the government would introduce legislation next year to salvage South Africa's reputation as an international haven for wildlife.
"We want to stop the approach of 'anything goes' in terms of hunting and crossbreeding," said van Schalkwyk.
The hunting of lions and other big cats bred in captivity purely to die at the barrel of a gun will be outlawed.
The Department of the Environment said the new regulations will make it illegal for anyone to kill large predators raised in an enclosed reserve to blunt their survival instincts.
It said it would also ban the shooting of lions, cheetahs and leopards in a "controlled environment," where hunters had an unfair advantage over the beasts, as well as forbidding the killing of tranquilized animals.
"The department shall never condone unacceptable hunting practices including so-called canned hunting," it said.
The proposed laws were drawn up following three years of consultations with hunting industry and conservation groups.
South Africa is famous as home to the Big Five— lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant and buffalo. Its flagship Kruger National Park attracts in excess a million camera-toting visitors annually.
Some 9,000 privately owned game farms and other government-run reserves also offer visitors a taste of the wild.
South Africa has become a choice destination for those willing to pay a high price to take home a prized trophy.
The TRAFFIC wildlife trade monitoring network said that in 2004, 190 lions worth an estimated $3.3 million were hunted in 2004 by foreigners: $17,500 each. Nearly 5,500 kudu- valued at $5.3 million in all- were also taken, along with 45 leopards worth an estimated $250,000.
Hunting is an integral part of South African life because of its cultural traditions and importance to the economy.
Minister van Schalkwyk is himself an avid hunter.
But the Government panel set up to examine the law found horrific examples of abuse, including the widespread use of predators born and bred in captivity.
A panel of experts highlighted the darker side of South Africa's booming wildlife industry on Tuesday and recommended a total ban on "canned hunting"- the release of captive-bred animals to be killed for sport with no chance of escaping their human predators.
Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said the government would introduce legislation next year to salvage South Africa's reputation as an international haven for wildlife.
"We want to stop the approach of 'anything goes' in terms of hunting and crossbreeding," said van Schalkwyk.
The hunting of lions and other big cats bred in captivity purely to die at the barrel of a gun will be outlawed.
The Department of the Environment said the new regulations will make it illegal for anyone to kill large predators raised in an enclosed reserve to blunt their survival instincts.
It said it would also ban the shooting of lions, cheetahs and leopards in a "controlled environment," where hunters had an unfair advantage over the beasts, as well as forbidding the killing of tranquilized animals.
"The department shall never condone unacceptable hunting practices including so-called canned hunting," it said.
The proposed laws were drawn up following three years of consultations with hunting industry and conservation groups.
South Africa is famous as home to the Big Five— lion, leopard, rhinoceros, elephant and buffalo. Its flagship Kruger National Park attracts in excess a million camera-toting visitors annually.
Some 9,000 privately owned game farms and other government-run reserves also offer visitors a taste of the wild.
South Africa has become a choice destination for those willing to pay a high price to take home a prized trophy.
The TRAFFIC wildlife trade monitoring network said that in 2004, 190 lions worth an estimated $3.3 million were hunted in 2004 by foreigners: $17,500 each. Nearly 5,500 kudu- valued at $5.3 million in all- were also taken, along with 45 leopards worth an estimated $250,000.
Hunting is an integral part of South African life because of its cultural traditions and importance to the economy.
Minister van Schalkwyk is himself an avid hunter.
But the Government panel set up to examine the law found horrific examples of abuse, including the widespread use of predators born and bred in captivity.
Labels: ban, canned hunting, hunting, lions, van schalkwyk
posted by Kruger2Canyons.com at
Thursday, December 14, 2006
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