http://www.nytimes.com/2016/06...eport-says.html?_r=0



Trophy Hunting Fees Do Little to Help Threatened Species, Report Says
By JADA F. SMITHJUNE 13, 2016


WASHINGTON — Advocates of trophy hunting, and even the United States government, have long justified the killing of protected wildlife in Africa by saying that taxes and fees from the hunts help pay for larger conservation efforts.

But a new report by the Democratic staff of the House Natural Resources Committee challenges those claims, finding little evidence that the money is being used to help threatened species, mostly because of rampant corruption in some countries and poorly managed wildlife programs. It concludes that trophy hunting may be contributing to the extinction of certain animals.

It has been almost a year since an American hunter killed a beloved lion named Cecil in Zimbabwe, setting off an international debate over sport hunting and widespread anger on the internet. Since then, the Obama administration has placed lions in Africa under the protection of the Endangered Species Act, France has banned the import of lion trophies, and more than 40 airlines have said they will no longer transport hunting trophies.

The 25-page House report, called “Missing the Mark,” says that while poaching remains the gravest threat to animals like lions, rhinoceroses and leopards, “trophy hunting also removes a significant number of animals from these rapidly declining populations.”

“As the tragic death of Cecil the lion showed us,” the report says, “trophy hunters do not always play by the rules, and the trophy hunting industry needs to be regulated and held accountable for there to be any hope of a consistent conservation benefit.”

In theory, elaborate big-game hunts — which can cost tens of thousands of dollars, including trophy fees, professional guide payments, transportation and lodging — could help poor countries maintain robust conservation programs and give aid to residents. In the past, the money has been used to repair degraded environments, and the revenue from trophy hunting has been seen as deterring local residents from killing animals because they consider them a nuisance or a danger.



However, the report says, “In assessing the flow of trophy hunting revenue to conservation efforts, we found many troubling examples of funds’ either being diverted from their purpose or not being dedicated to conservation in the first place.”

The Endangered Species Act says hunted trophies can be brought to the United States only if they do not contribute to the extinction of a species. That standard is not always met, the report says, and it recommends that the Fish and Wildlife Service improve its permitting process so that only trophies that actually enhance the survival of species are allowed into the country.

The service has the authority to require an import permit for any species listed as threatened or endangered. In 2014, the agency suspended imports of elephant trophies from Tanzania and Zimbabwe because of “catastrophic population declines.” But, according to the study, it has been reluctant to use its authority to restrict other trophy imports that do not meet the standards on protecting species.

The agency has also used special rules to exempt from permitting requirements many imports of animals listed under the Endangered Species Act, the report says. For the species covered in the House report, the Fish and Wildlife Service required only one import permit from 2010 to 2014, though more than 2,700 trophies eligible for permitting were imported during that time. For the 1,469 leopard trophies that could have required an import permit, the agency required none.

Because Americans bring home more trophies of protected species than hunters from any other country, some conservationists believe that the United States government has the responsibility and the leverage to force a change. The urgency for such change, however, can be largely credited to Cecil the lion.

“Before Cecil, there was a certain complacency surrounding what to do about the lion, almost an indifference,” said Craig Packer, a lion expert who ran the Serengeti Lion Project in Tanzania for 35 years and has been critical of hunting practices in that country.

“After Cecil, it became clear that the public was much more skeptical of sport hunting,” he said. “It shows the power of public opinion.”

Last time I checked my Leopard required a Cites import permit from the United States, and I don't know anyone that has taken leopard that have been excepted from the regulation. What a crock of bull. Typical democratic leadership balony.

Guys, this is Craig Packer at work.

He is ticked at Tanzania and is willing to throw the bus over the cliff to get his way.

Have there been issues with corruption? Definitely. And the great swami says that there will continue to be. Its Africa. The hope is that we can work with them and let them use self interest to fix the problem.

Us continuing down the neocolonial road only will mess things up worse. It only offends folks that we don't believe they can do the job right without us sitting there and telling them they did it wrong and we will tell them how to do it right, instead of working with them and making suggestions without threats.

However, it seems pretty ridiculous for the US government to play this kind of role in straightening out corruption in one area, and to actively encourage it in others.

So now the democrat party is helping the animal rights nuts. I remember how they always lecture us on banning certain firearms that the only reason to own a gun is for hunting and how noble hunting is.

quote:

Originally posted by crbutler:
Guys, this is Craig Packer at work.

He is ticked at Tanzania and is willing to throw the bus over the cliff to get his way.

Have there been issues with corruption? Definitely. And the great swami says that there will continue to be. Its Africa. The hope is that we can work with them and let them use self interest to fix the problem.

Us continuing down the neocolonial road only will mess things up worse. It only offends folks that we don't believe they can do the job right without us sitting there and telling them they did it wrong and we will tell them how to do it right, instead of working with them and making suggestions without threats.

However, it seems pretty ridiculous for the US government to play this kind of role in straightening out corruption in one area, and to actively encourage it in others.

Packer has always followed the money!

I do not doubt that only a small fraction of trophy and hunting fees paid actually go back into conservation. To me, that is not the point. The biggest threat to wildlife in Africa and many other places is the loss of habitat. The real point is that but for hunting and the dollars generated by hunting, the habitat being dedicated to hunting would be lost. Without habitat animal populations will continue to dwindle. If the habitat is not used for hunting it will be used for some other purpose -- purposes that are incompatible with wildlife -- like ranching, farming, communal development and the like since most hunting areas are not likely photographic safari areas.

http://www.washingtonexaminer....720?custom_click=rss

Dems take aim at trophy hunters ahead of Cecil the lion anniversary

By JOHN SICILIANO • 6/13/16 11:17 AM

House Democrats released a report Monday demonstrating that trophy hunting has done more harm than good, just ahead of the one-year anniversary of the killing of Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe.

"The findings have major implications for endangered species protection and come a few days before the July 1 one-year anniversary of the killing of Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe by American dentist Walter Palmer," said a statement from House Democrats on the Natural Resources Committee.

The death of the beloved lion last July sparked international outrage among animal rights groups, who demanded justice after Palmer shot the animal while on a hunting trip in Africa. Palmer's guides agreed to bring him to shoot a lion while in Zimbabwe, without informing him that the big cat they picked for him to shoot was a prized national attraction and seen as a local treasure.

Several wildlife preserves in Africa say they have worked to increase the numbers of endangered species, and that hunting can be done in a controlled way that helps fund the preservation parks and maintain healthy herds. But the Democrats aren't buying that rationale.


The report, entitled "Missing The Mark: African trophy hunting fails to show consistent conservation benefits," argues that hunted species of animals, including lions, leopards, elephants and black rhinos, have suffered due to a combination of African countries' lax conservation enforcement, and frequent failures by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to demand relevant information before approving trophy hunting imports under the Endangered Species Act.

"Today's report shows that while trophy hunting has benefited at-risk species in rare circumstances, most hunts cannot be considered good for a species' survival," said Rep. Raul M. Grijalva, D-Ariz., ranking member on Natural Resources. "Taking that claim at face value is no longer a serious option."

"Anyone who wants to see these animals survive needs to look at the evidence in front of us and make some major behavior and policy changes," Grijalva added. "Endangered and threatened species are not an inexhaustible resource to be killed whenever the mood strikes us."

Here's the full report for those interested:

http://democrats-naturalresour...ing%20the%20Mark.pdf

It's high time that the NRA, SCI and DSC, among others, including RMEF, DU and others get in gear with their republican reps in congress on this issue. This is the shot across the bow at all hunters.

quote:

Originally posted by Use Enough Gun:
It's high time that the NRA, SCI and DSC, among others, including RMEF, DU and others get in gear with their republican reps in congress on this issue. This is the shot across the bow at all hunters.

Shot across the bow?

We have had shots across the bow, punches to the gut, kicks in the nuts and still nothing moves but the NRA and them slowly as they are as we all are in the fight of our life over 2nd Amendment issues. If Trumps doesn't win it's all over.

Jeff