I saw this hit the news aiming at Trump and his son which could be our greatest advocate soon for African Hunting and importation of CITES animals. We as hunters and gun owners should all support them right now as our rights are under a serious a full frontal assault.
I believe we should all comment on this article with intelligent and accurate responses (the article sure is not) Trump/Leopard Lawsuit Filed

As expected, won't be long and we will be hearing about the endangered Cape Buffalo.

I feared something like this was coming. I have a leopard hunt booked for next May in Zim.

quote:

Originally posted by Custom:
I feared something like this was coming. I have a leopard hunt booked for next May in Zim.

It was certainly bound to happen. The (potential) saving grace is that leopard has always been more regulated than lion and elephant (with the exception of Tanzania and Mozambique). In fact, the new elephant permit applications appear to be modeled after the current leopard rules: ie allowing "only" two in per year per hunter. Let's hope USFWS sticks to the permitting system they already have established.

I won't hold my breath!

Poyntman

Made a comment on the article.

Mark

Where's DSC and SCI on this?

I don't see a lot of members jumping in to promote our point of view. Mostly the same sad anti drivel.

Mark

UEG: DSC is working on it and I'm pretty certain SCI is as well.

quote:

Originally posted by MARK H. YOUNG:
I don't see a lot of members jumping in to promote our point of view. Mostly the same sad anti drivel.

Mark

You gotta have a facebook account to post......no thanks......

.

Karl,
I think it's safe to say we all very much appreciate more and more DSC and what you all do.
You are visible, responsive, and proactive.

Poyntman: Thanks, and we are going to be a whole lot more visible, proactive and responsive in the next few months.

I now handle Dallas (and Texas in general) as part of my business....
Point being is I, for one, plan on both becoming a Life Member of DSC and attending the Annual Convention from now on.
I missed it this year and got a lot of phone calls from friends that I missed

quote:

Originally posted by Poyntman:
Karl,
I think it's safe to say we all very much appreciate more and more DSC and what you all do.
You are visible, responsive, and proactive.

I'll second that!

.

quote:

Originally posted by JTEX:

quote:

Originally posted by Poyntman:
Karl,
I think it's safe to say we all very much appreciate more and more DSC and what you all do.
You are visible, responsive, and proactive.

I'll second that!

.

Plus one more!

quote:

Originally posted by Poyntman:
I saw this hit the news aiming at Trump and his son which could be our greatest advocate soon for African Hunting and importation of CITES animals. We as hunters and gun owners should all support them right now as our rights are under a serious a full frontal assault.
I believe we should all comment on this article with intelligent and accurate responses (the article sure is not) Trump/Leopard Lawsuit Filed

I started beating this drum almost a year ago.

Agree wholeheartedly with you poyntman on the politics.

As Karl briefly mentioned, our government affairs/ legal team is also working on HSUS's petition.

quote:

Originally posted by K Evans:
Poyntman: Thanks, and we are going to be a whole lot more visible, proactive and responsive in the next few months.

Karl, what does DSC have planned? This petition really got to me, probably because of my upcoming leopard hunt next spring. As others have said, I think we need to mobilize an all out effort to combat this, and I hope DSC can lead that charge. I don't live in TX, but have been an associate member of DSC for a number of years. I have my check book in hand and am planning to call today to upgrade to life member to add to the war chest, unless there is a more direct route for my dollars to help this battle.

quote:

Originally posted by SCI Hunter Advocacy:
As Karl briefly mentioned, our government affairs/ legal team is also working on HSUS's petition.

Great! Stop it with the silly awards and put your efforts into THIS!

We must address this nonsense with a full frontal assault. No more cowering and remaining silent. The future of wildlife must have management and value, and hunting is part of it. The anti's are only interested in disrupting hunting. Once they get the attention they pay for, they move on to the next animal. They are lying out their ass and 90% of these mental midgets have no clue about wildlife management or hunting. They are Lemmings that can only follow their celebrity leader.

quote:

Originally posted by Poyntman:
Karl,
I think it's safe to say we all very much appreciate more and more DSC and what you all do.
You are visible, responsive, and proactive.

Fantastic!

Does anyone know where SCI is?

Oh, I keep forgetting, they are lost for words again!

quote:

Originally posted by Leopardtrack:

quote:

Originally posted by SCI Hunter Advocacy:
As Karl briefly mentioned, our government affairs/ legal team is also working on HSUS's petition.

Great! Stop it with the silly awards and put your efforts into THIS!

Our government affairs team prioritity is the advocacy mission.

quote:

Originally posted by Saeed:

quote:

Originally posted by Poyntman:
Karl,
I think it's safe to say we all very much appreciate more and more DSC and what you all do.
You are visible, responsive, and proactive.

Fantastic!

Does anyone know where SCI is?

Oh, I keep forgetting, they are lost for words again!

Hi Saeed,
If you look closer to this thread you'd see we commented just below Karl.

Damn Photobucket...I'll try again. I can't get Photobucket to cooperate, I'll see if Dr Scott would post the photo for me. I mentioned we had lots going on and this the first of hopefully many examples of how hunters are part of the solution and not the problem.

It would be nice to have an AG with some intestinal fortitude go after some of these anti bloviators with a RICO violation given that really all they are after is putting money in their own pockets under false pretenses.

http://www.huntingreport.com/c...ion_force.cfm?id=418



The Leopard in the Lime Light


Written By John J. Jackson III, Conservation Force Chairman & President
(posted September 2016)


Leopards are the next hunting species targeted by animal rightists.


On July 25, 2016, a group of antis filed a petition to up-list all African leopard as Endangered under the ESA. This move was just proceeded by the Cat Specialist Group of IUCN raising the leopard to VULNERABLE on its Red List. The Cat Specialist Group of IUCN has also drafted a soon-to-be-released Worldwide Action Plan for all leopard. And the 28-member EU has introduced a Resolution for the CITES conference in late September (CoP 17) to restrict leopard trophy trade.

There are nine recognized subspecies of leopard. The subspecies in Africa is the Panthera pardus pardus. Those in Southern and Eastern Africa are doing the best and are generally considered "healthy" even though presumed to be in decline in some areas. Those are Threatened under the ESA and the ones petitioned for up-listing to Endangered. It is the status of leopard in the rest of the world that has caused the new IUCN VULNERABLE reclassification. Nevertheless, the IUCN Red List authors speculate that prey animals are down in Southern and Eastern Africa, thus the leopard are down by the same percentage. They conclude the leopard in Southern Africa are thus "potentially" VULNERABLE. We do not think that is close to accurate and are quite concerned with that kind of faulty reasoning and untethered inference. Leopard eat smaller mammals, birds, snakes, insects, mice and more. They are the keenest hunters of all predator mammals. The speculation that leopard have declined at the same percentage rate as large ungulate prey appears to be an extreme application of the precautionary approach contrary to the hunting skills and diversity of diet of the leopard. Regardless, the IUCN authors do not view Southern and Eastern leopard as ENDANGERED under the Red List criteria as the antis have petitioned under the ESA.

The petition to reclassify the ESA Threatened-listed leopard as Endangered was filed by five animal rights/animal welfare organizations: the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the Humane Society International (HSI), the Center for Biological Diversity, the International Fund For Animal Welfare (IFAW), and Fund for Animals (FfA). The HSUS, HSI, and FfA are affiliated. The 95-page petition contains too many allegations to repeat but high points follow.

The petition is more than an attempt to reclassify the leopard as endangered in order to stop trophy imports. It is also a petition to immediately "suspend" the import of all leopard trophies and/or to make import far more difficult. The petitioners "petition the Service to take immediate action to restrict imports of African leopard, by (1) suspending the issuance of CITES import permits for Panthera pardus trophies until the FWS non-detriment advise memorandum is reevaluated for each range country where trophy hunting occurs; and (2) rescinding the special rule pertaining to leopards from 'south Africa'...." because it does not require proof of enhancement. The petition also calls for an immediate five-year review alleged to never have been performed. So, I presume the FWS will initiate a five-year review simultaneously with the 90-day reclassification review.

In detail, the petition claims that the leopard should not have been down-listed to Threatened in 1982. It alleges that the 1982 split listing of the leopard (most from Eastern and Southern Africa reclassified as Threatened while others remain Endangered) is illegal today because there is no evidence in the 1982 administrative record that today's "distinct population segment" analysis was performed at the time of the reclassification and a five-year review should include such an analysis and be applied retroactively. It claims many populations are in decline but provides too little evidence of what that decline is or proof it warrants an Endangered rather than Threatened listing, if that. It identifies some populations that research has shown are below full potential carrying capacity before experimental reforms were instituted, but that is not to say an increase of leopard populations is necessarily desirable or in the best interest of the leopard in the long run considering limits of human tolerance, or that failure to maintain the leopard population at any particular or maximum potential number endangers it.

The petition is supported by two sworn declarations of "opinion" by celebrated Dr. Jane Goodall and the renowned videographer of National Geographic, Derek Joubert. Neither are experts on leopard status qualified to give an expert opinion, but both are against trophy hunting of any kind. Dr. Goodall states, "Trophy hunters target large males in their prime... splendid individuals whose decapitated heads disfigure the walls of countless wealthy homes," and "In my opinion, leopards across their African Range are in Danger of Extinction...." Dr. Goodall lists that she has been a Board member of HSUS since 1989 and Honorary Board Member of IFAW since 2014, and has won awards from both. She cites no firsthand knowledge of the status of leopard in the relevant countries, just her unsupported "expert" opinion against hunting. Joubert cites a few anecdotal experiences without documentation but no firsthand knowledge of the status of leopard range wide. He claims, "Trophy hunting is little more than a bloodlust and thrill of killing and has no longer any place in sound wildlife management...." He clearly demonstrates his bias against hunting and gives an opinion that leopard must be endangered and listed as endangered to stop trophy imports that he despises.

All African leopard are on Appendix I of CITES but the Parties of CITES as a body have approved quotas for trophy trade for most of Southern and Eastern Africa based upon duly debated information. The USFWS has the practice of making its own biological determination before issuing an import permit rather than relying upon the biological determination made by the exporting countries or the quota set by the Parties at a CoP. Now the European Union and its Member States have proposed a resolution to raise the bar for leopard. Annex 1 and 3 of CoP 17 Doc. 39.1 propose the passage of a Resolution and Decisions for the Animals Committee to review all hunting trophy quotas set by the Parties, particularly "for leopard hunting trophies and hunting trophies of other Appendix I species." The Parties are invited to participate in the Animals Committee, and it is suggested that the Animals Committee do this review on a regular basis. The findings and recommendations of the Animals Committee are to be reported to the Standing Committee, which in turn is to make its own recommendations to the Parties at 18th CoP.

The document submitted states, "This Resolution should in particular set out a number of conditions (to ensure that the exports are sustainable) that should be met before such imports can be authorized." Res. 39.1, paragraph 12. Apparently this overrides the quota set by the Parties and the Animals Committee would add conditions that would have to be satisfied before a country could use its quota. (See below about the new seven-year age approach).

The EU wants to develop "additional species-specific guidance on measures to achieve non-detriment." Res. 39.1, paragraph 15. In Annex 1 the EU goes so far as to recommend the making of an enhancement rather than just a non-detriment finding: "RECOMMENDS that trophy hunting activities relating to species listed in Appendix I should produce tangible conservation benefits for the species concerned." This is an about-face that would in effect reverse the revisions to Res. 2.11 adopted at CoP 9 in 1994 that deleted reference to proof of enhancement and recommended acceptance of the biological determinations made by the exporting country. The EU Resolution would only apply to hunting trophies, which demonstrates Cecil sensitivity. It also is far too similar to the EU Written Declaration to restrict hunting trophies that failed to get the required signatures to carry in the European Parliament and lapsed on April 18, 2016. In fact, this is more than a mere Declaration, this is to be a regulation - one like Born Free and Lion-Aid promised to be imposed on the whole world, not just the EU.

Though not entirely successful within the EU, the antis have succeeded in having the EU propose added restrictions and proof of enhancement for leopard and all other hunting trophies listed under both CITES Appendix I and II.

The IUCN Cat Specialist Group has drafted but not yet released a Worldwide Action Plan for leopard. It is to be the framework for their Global Leopard Conservation Initiative. The CSG takes credit for leading the Initiative but acknowledges heavy participation of the Panthera organization from inception. Recently Panthera has begun circulating a new seven-year minimum age approach for both lion and leopard without buy-in from the hunting community or government wildlife department authorities. We presume the new framework for the conservation of the leopard will include Panthera's seven-year age minimum and that the "experts" and antis will want to add it as a condition of leopard trophy trade to be set by the Animals Committee, Doc. 39.1, CoP 17. Despite requests for a copy of the draft Worldwide Leopard Action Plan, it is not ready and not being released early in draft until complete. We know of no hunting interest participating in its preparation.

Each entity that has joined these lawsuits against hunting, are all about money. They get funding via government awards/grants, commercial donations (NatGeo etc) but mainly the emotional tear jerk crowd that wouldn't know a Tsessebe from a Bushbuck. Those checks and credit cards come out each time a wet, muddy, hungry kitty or puppy is paraded on television. The more these anti groups can post lawsuits and false claims of "winning the war for wildlife" the more money they gather. It's not about the Big 5, it's about hunting; all of it. If every gun owner was a card carrying member of the NRA, we'd have total control of the 2nd amendment. It's the same here. If all hunters belonged to a solid hunter adversary group, such as the Conservation Force, SCI, DSC etc., we'd have a stronger stand concerning these attacks. Unfortunately, it's easier for the majority of hunters to ignore these attacks/lawsuits, pass the buck to the "rich man" and come up with a dictionary of excuses why "They will never stop hunting." It's coming, step by step, piece by piece, animal by animal. Either we stand united or together we fall. Just think what $45 dollars times one million hunters could do instead of one carton of cigarettes; a few cases of beer; a bottle of good wine. Sacrifice; sometimes we must make it to ensure continuation of what we love.

This isn't something I like to read. Especially, since I have a hunt booked for next year. Importable or not, I am still hunting leopard. That being said, I pray this is a battle we win. I will do all that I can to help.