For those of you that will be at the SCI show in Reno and interested in the lion story we will be showing our movie, “The Fate of the African Lion” between 3 and 5pm on Thursday 24th January in one of the meeting halls at the convention centre. We, the Osprey Filming Company, produced the movie in conjunction with the Hunter Proud Foundation, Conservation Force and the SCI Foundation.

The production follows the story through the countries of Zimbabwe, Zambia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya and Pakistan. It will be presented to the US Fish and Wildlife Service for consideration in their deliberations on the petition to list the lion as endangered on the US endangered species list.

It features a couple of our own AR stars, Fairgame and Bwanamitch!! I hope that you can make the showing.

I would love to see that. Perhaps the best way to explain hunting/conservation.

Will that movie be available online? Would love to see it.

quote:

Originally posted by Caracal:
Will that movie be available online? Would love to see it.

+1

Zig must be applauded for the amount of time and effort he has sacrificed to get this documentary together. It has taken many months of research and he has covered thousands of miles to compile footage and information.

Your support would be appreciated. Especially those who hope to hunt Lion in the future.

Look forward to seeing it!

Thanks Aaron.

Just need the antis to sort out Tanzania and Zim and that will be the end of big game hunting as we know it.

Forums such as these will be history.

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
Thanks Aaron.

Just need the antis to sort out Tanzania and Zim and that will be the end of big game hunting as we know it.

Forums such as these will be history.

Nah,

There will be at least a generation of us old farts talking about the "good old days" for 15 years or so. The youngins will be griping they waited too long.

Hi Zig and Tim,Looking forward to seeing you guys at the show.Gentlemen with the 25 years experience you have of filming different countries,safari operations,PHs and concessions around africa i have no doubt this is going to be an awesome video.

quote:

Originally posted by Frostbit:

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
Thanks Aaron.

Just need the antis to sort out Tanzania and Zim and that will be the end of big game hunting as we know it.

Forums such as these will be history.

Nah,

There will be at least a generation of us old farts talking about the "good old days" for 15 years or so. The youngins will be griping they waited too long.

Jim mate you may have been the last of the Lion hunters here. You made a fine decision.

Iran tells me the two dark manes are back in camp and if they hang around this year they will be the most protected cats on the continent.

Zig,

Are there any plans to distribute the movie to the various game departments and governments in Africa ? How about to the governments of other countries that have hunters travel to Africa. Canada, Mexico, Britain, Germany, Norway, etc. I am worried the a US ban will create a domino affect with other countries. If this movie will help support the conservation theory as Hunters see it, then we need to get this out to the whole world!

I understand this takes considerable dollars and time to do. What contributions need to be made in order to make these things happen? Is this the type of movie meant to be factual regarding how to conserve the lions in Africa? Would it be suitable for use in schools and educating the next generation?

Sorry, but there are so many questions. I am just thinking that this movie has the potential to educate these types of people in a way that we as hunters have not properly done to date. I guess its hard to say without seeing it and unfortunately i will not be in Reno this year.

Zig I will not be in Reno but hope to see the movie also.

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:

quote:

Originally posted by Frostbit:

quote:

Originally posted by fairgame:
Thanks Aaron.

Just need the antis to sort out Tanzania and Zim and that will be the end of big game hunting as we know it.

Forums such as these will be history.

Nah,

There will be at least a generation of us old farts talking about the "good old days" for 15 years or so. The youngins will be griping they waited too long.

Jim mate you may have been the last of the Lion hunters here. You made a fine decision.

Iran tells me the two dark manes are back in camp and if they hang around this year they will be the most protected cats on the continent.

Glad you will be able to continue to protect the area and its wildlife for now. Hopefully next year all will be back to "normal" allowing a sane wildlife management policy.

Please extend our kindest regards to Iran. Joyce speaks fondly of him often. Hi to Green as well please.

Zig,

Thanks for the compliments/comments. At this stage the movie will not be available on-line but hopefully will be soon. This has to be discussed with the various people and organizations involved in the production.

Bryce,

Yes we are planning to get the movie to the various authorities in the African states and it is a good idea to send it to the governments of the hunters that hunt in Africa.

The movie is long, two hours long, and is centered around the petition to list the lion as endangered on the US endangered species list. It would take to long to explain the whole movie but here is a basic outline.

The United States Endangered Species Act identifies five factors that must be considered when determining whether a species should be listed “threatened” or “endangered” they are:

(A) the present or threatened destruction, modification, or curtailment of the species habitat or range;
(B) overutilization for commercial, recreational, scientific, or educational purposes;
(C) disease or predation;
(D) the inadequacy of existing regulatory mechanisms; and
(E) other natural or manmade factors affecting its continued existence.

Moreover, the Basis of Determination section expressly provides that the efforts being made by the foreign nation should be taken into account.

The movie examines these five factors and how they pertain to the lion.

The movie also looks into what is actually happening on the ground in Africa and the different hunting conservation models that are used in different places.

In Zimbabwe, the Bubye Valley Conservancy, private shareholders rehabilitating a huge area that used to be a cattle ranch.

In Mozambique, the Niassa reserve, government and a private management company resuscitating a game park using hunting as a tool. The Niassa points system for lion trophy quotas.

In Zambia, Royal Kafue, a private company and a community coming together to create a functioning game ranch which relies on hunting, specifically lion, to survive.

In Tanzania, how an extremely efficient hunting company, TGTS, is maintaining their concessions through anti-poaching, community work etc and how the government has adopted their lion management plan.

In Kenya, (this is probably the most interesting part of the movie) how wildlife numbers have collapsed by 80% since hunting was banned in 1977 and what people on the ground there think about this.

In Pakistan, what happens to a species once it is listed on the endangered species list?

As I say this is a very basic run down of the movie, if you get the chance come and watch it in Reno but one way or another we will make it accessible to everyone.

You can go to www.hunterproud.com to see some of the other movies that we have made in the past and in fact the Bubye Valley Conservancy story is on there.

And a great pity that at the stroke of a pen some companies who have put a great a amount of goodwill and financial resources in conservation minded projects aimed protecting lion numbers had the carpet pulled from under their feet.
All those years of effort are going to be washed down the drain in one season!

The Zambia section proved the viability of community game ranching and more importantly the conservation of iconic species such as Lion as a valued asset and one not to be poisoned or snared.

Communities throughout Africa will destroy Lion (and other predators) where there are conflicts with livestock. Each of these Lions is worth tens of thousands to an economy and a complete waste of a valuable asset. By hunting one of them and the realisation of the potential incomes to be made the Kaindu authorities and especially the Chief subsequently ordered the community to halt these destructive practises. In 2013 we were to install a compensation system that would refund livestock owners of their losses.

This fund will no longer be available and Lions will be persecuted once again.

I think your next project should be a horror film and should graphically depict the horrendous deaths of animals subjected to snaring and the gruesome dispatch and destruction of our beautiful animals.

Andrew's interview on the movie, along with Green's and the local councillor Boniface, was excellent. The logic behind the project was presented clearly, no sport hunting, no wildlife not just lion. This was the same message from across Africa. I just hope that we can convince USFWS.

Well done Zig. I'm looking forward to getting my hands on your film, as I know it will be a true reflection of the state of the game, unlike so much of the other dung which is being peddled.

Best regards, David

Has teaming with a vendor to distribute/sell DVDs of the video? This would enable viewing by a wider audience as well as provide a needed revenue for the cause.

Well done Zig!! Yes - will copies be available for purchase at SCI??

David, thanks for that, yes we are trying to tell the real story.

A decision on distribution of the movie has not been made yet, we are still looking at the most effective way of doing this. We will let everyone know when a decision has been made.

quote:

Originally posted by Zig Mackintosh:
In Tanzania, how an extremely efficient hunting company, TGTS, is maintaining their concessions through anti-poaching, community work etc and how the government has adopted their lion management plan.

A company that embraced the science and research being put forth by the leading lion scientists working in TZ ( Zig) 10 years ago before today's crisis was even conceived.

A company that took science and research and used it as a management tool to better the habitat they hunted.

Lane,

Absolutely, but unfortunately that same scientist seems to run with the hares and hunt with the hounds!!

The movie will be shown in meeting room A1 in the convention centre between 3-5pm on Thursday 24. Hope that AR members who are at the show will come along and support!!

quote:

Originally posted by Zig Mackintosh:
Lane,

Absolutely, but unfortunately that same scientist seems to run with the hares and hunt with the hounds!!

I promise you he (the scientist) is on our side...just ask George Hartley. Bwanamich has also seen some of the e-mail correspondence from he and LCTF...he just wants to see some reform.

What a lot of folks don't understand...is that pure scientist must report the data as it comes in with out bias...unfortunately for some in our community...it was not what they wanted to hear. But he is the first to say he does NOT want the lion listed as endangered.