http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-32815508



Why Zambia lifted ban on hunting lions and leopards
By Milton Nkosi
BBC Africa, Johannesburg
2 hours ago




Big-cat trophy hunting is regarded by many as primitive in this day and age.
So why would a country like Zambia lift the ban on the shooting and killing of its precious lion and leopard populations?
The answer is very clear - it is the need for foreign currency in order to fund sustainable wildlife programmes, which can be costly, and also to benefit local communities.
Trophy hunting is a multi-million dollar industry - a licence to shoot a lion can cost up to $25,000 (£15,000) in neighbouring countries.
Zambia's economy was built on the back of copper mining but now commodities are on a cyclical downward spiral. Consequently the country's currency, the kwacha, has lost a substantial amount of its value.
For this small country, tourism is another way of bringing in foreign currency.
There is no doubt that the beautiful banks of the Zambezi river in Livingstone and the Victoria Falls are still a draw card for international tourists but take a closer look at the numbers and it soon becomes clear that trophy hunters bring the lion's share of the greenback.


Different cats
Zambia's country director of the World Wildlife Fund Nyambe Nyambe told me that when the ban was initially announced back in 2013 "there were not enough monitoring systems in place".
The government lifted the ban following expert recommendations which suggested that hunting resumption would "assist communities in affected areas with access to financial benefits", he said.
Mr Nyambe also explained that "concerns about the big cats conservation led to the ban in the first place and there is due recognition of the same as the ban is being lifted".
The authorities saw the need for a robust and implementable plan for leopards as well, as they have different needs to lions.

Hunting regulations were structured only for lions because hunters were mostly interested in the king of the jungle.
Mr Nyambe added: "We hope and trust that the hunting of big cats will be an integral part of sustainable harvesting of wildlife resources."
But critics say there is no justification for shooting majestic animals such as the elusive African leopard just so that wealthy hunters, largely from the West, can pose for photos with dead animals.
And there is one country on the continent that wants no part in the hunting of wildlife - Zambia's neighbour, Botswana.
It has an established tradition of "shoot with the camera not the gun".
Last week an American hunter paid $350,000 for a licence to shoot a black rhinoceros in Namibia.
Corey Knowlton, from Texas, killed the rhino with a high-powered rifle after a three-day hunt through the bush with government officials on hand to ensure he killed the correct animal, which had reportedly been chosen as it was old and had become aggressive.
Mr Knowlton, 36, won the right to shoot the rhino at an auction - attracting criticism, and even death threats, from conservationists.
His supporters argued that the money raised would be used to protect other rhinos - there are just 5,000 left in the world, 2,000 of which are in Namibia.
Zambia cannot be singled out for criticism because trophy hunting, albeit not always for endangered species or exotic animals, is allowed in many parts of the world including Europe and the US.
But to be fair to the international hunter, local communities also hunt animals for their own purposes - whether to eat or to protect their livestock from predators.
Animal rights groups hope that someday, in the not-too-distant future, there will come a time when the killing of wild animals will simply be outlawed.

Good on Mr. Nkosi

It is about time someone listened to Africans and attended to their needs and desires.

It's profoundly wonderful to see such a positive article with government officials making rational decisions!!!

Brett

Yes, good on Mr. Nkosi and indeed BBC Africa!

The death threats came from "conservationists"? I don't think so.

My understanding was that the "supporters" told the irrational "don't kill anything ever for any reason" folks that if they did not like what was happening that they were free to bid for the Rhino and do whatever they wanted with him. We know how far that went.

When it comes to put up or shut up with these radicals they are, as we say in Texas, "all hat and no cattle".

quote:

Originally posted by BrettAKSCI:
It's profoundly wonderful to see such a positive article with government officials making rational decisions!!!

Brett

Exactly!

The death threats come from ignorant bunny huggers, who are doing their best in the West to give animals the same rights as humans.

And sadly, in some instances they are actually succeeding!!

http://www.lusakatimes.com/201...eports-zambia-to-eu/


2015 May 26


Government defends lifting of the ban on big cat hunting, as Lion Aid reports Zambia to EU

May 26, 2015 10:41 am



GOVERNMENT has defended the lifting of the ban on hunting big cats in Zambia saying the population of the cats will reduce significantly.
Tourism and Arts Minister Jean Kapata said the lifting of the ban follows the government’s introduction of stringent measures to guide the hunting process.

Ms Kapata said before 2013, the laws that were guiding the hunting process were inadequate to protect the cats but now it will be easy to regulate the process and only allow for few cats to be killed.

“Before 2013, the process was not good but now we have strengthened the regulations that guide the hunting process in the hunting blocks,” she said.

The minister said people should not worry that the big cats such as lions will be depleted after the lifting of the ban.

“Previously, hunters were allowed five cats in the hunting block but now we are not allowing more than two cats per person,” she explained.

Ms Kapata further said that currently only 46 cats will be killed in the 23 hunting blocks as only two will be allowed per hunting season.

Meanwhile, Lion Aid has appealed to the European Union (EU) to place a ban on Zambia’s lion hunting imports as Zambia cannot justify commercial off take based on the country’s paltry remaining lion populations.

The organisation says it will also contact USA authorities to do the same “LionAid will now undertake an appeal to the European Union to place a ban on Zambia lion hunting imports as Zambia cannot justify commercial off take based on their paltry remaining lion populations,” the statement said.

LionAid are the United Kingdom (UK) charity working globally to save lions and end the decline of wild lion populations.

The organisation added that it estimate there are not more than 400 lions left in Zambia.

So will Lion Aid actually admit that other countries do have sufficient populations to justify commercial off take and name them?

Yeah, didn't think so...

Not more than 400 lion in Zambia, there must be more than 400 in the South Luangwa alone?

Lionaid is run by a bunch of bloody ignorant idiots, who are benefitting by all the money they are given to save the lions!

Can someone tell me what those nuts have done for conservation of lions??

I think Lion Aid left off a 0 on their population estimate. Think I saw 4000.

quote:

Originally posted by Arturo Cuturi:
Not more than 400 lion in Zambia, there must be more than 400 in the South Luangwa alone?

What a load of bollocks. On one safari alone in Lunga Luswishi we recorded 15 males.

This falsification of statistics is tantamount to slander.

Kudos to the authorities for making an intelligent and correct decision. And I'm glad BBC covered it. But there's nothing "positive" for our side in the way the article was written. Look at the opening and closing sentences. The media will never be on our side. I believe our African members on here learned that decades ago.

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:

quote:

Originally posted by Arturo Cuturi:
Not more than 400 lion in Zambia, there must be more than 400 in the South Luangwa alone?

What a load of bollocks. On one safari alone in Lunga Luswishi we recorded 15 males.

This falsification of statistics is tantamount to slander.

It is the usual operating procedure of Lionaid.

They have no idea what the reality and the truth is!

Their website is so ridiculous it's scary to think many take them seriously! I encourage you to browse and see for yourself.

The falsehoods being propagated on it are astounding. and for all that work over more than a decade, they have just 1, only 1, paltry project which they calim they are undertaking in Kenya to mitigate lion/human conflict. Yet they fail to state where the project is located. I mean, this guy Pieter Kat, is a master at verbal diarrhea.

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:

quote:

Originally posted by Arturo Cuturi:
Not more than 400 lion in Zambia, there must be more than 400 in the South Luangwa alone?

What a load of bollocks. On one safari alone in Lunga Luswishi we recorded 15 males.

This falsification of statistics is tantamount to slander.

Andrew, do you have any game cams at your disposal to document this? Camera surveying has become a scientifically accepted cheap way of wildlife surveying - for example see http://www.publish.csiro.au/nid/18/pid/7150.htm I'd be interested to see how ZAWA would respond to a PHAZ initiated camera survey in GMAs

http://www.lusakatimes.com/201...ism-ban-green-party/



Big Cats Hunting: Zambia risks EU and US tourism ban-Green Party

May 27, 2015 6:58 am

The Green Party has warned that the US and the EU may impose a ban on all Zambian tourism products if it fails to reverse the recent the decision to allow the hunting of the Big Cats.
Green Party President Peter Sinkamba stated that the entire tourism sector stands to significantly suffer in view of civil society lobby, led by LionAid for the European Union and United States to place a ban on Zambia’s lion hunting imports.

Mr Sinkamba has since reiterated his party’s earlier position that Government reverses its decision to lift hunting of lions and Leopards species until a competent wildlife census is conducted

‘Further, we urge Government to reverse its decision as From our experience on the Victoria Falls elephant campaigns, if government fails to yield and the EU and the US impose a ban, the lobby may cascade to cover other tourism products on offer in Zambia offers as well,’ Mr Sinkamba said.

He said although Tourism and Arts Minister Jean Kapata says government has introduced stringent measures to guide the hunting process and that only 46 cats will be killed in the 23 hunting blocks as only two will be allowed per hunting season, his party does believe there are a lot of other innovative things that Government can, and must do, in order to protect these animals.

‘If someone out there has money to spare, and wants to donate several hundred thousand dollars to wildlife conservation in Zambia, they do not need to come and kill endangered species to donate,’ he said,
‘Technology has made it extremely easier to transfer money electronically around the globe. One does not need the hassle and bustle of trekking through bushes and thorns to track these animals to donate.’

Mr Sinkamba added, ‘The Minister says killing the 46 cats will earn this country and communities reasonable income. Furthermore, the Minister says hunters were allowed to kill five cats in the hunting block but now we are not allowing more than two cats per person. We reiterate our earlier position that safari hunting as a conservation strategy is a wrong notion.’

He said killing endangered wildlife in the name of saving it and earning revenue is just wrong.

‘We know for a fact that the ulterior motive of safari hunting is killing endangered species for fun, not conservation. Besides, killing even one lion without any concrete data on the population of the species, is an extremely irresponsible.’

Mr Sinkamba added, ‘we therefore urge government to resist the temptation of dirty money like safari hunting and do the right thing: sustain the ban until Zambia has conducted the censure and sustainable eco-tourism schemes are put in place.’