Guys - I know this is probably not a new subject here on AR, but as a NEW member I thought I would at least post it, just in case someone was not aware! Below is a recent article I wrote in hopes of helping to generate some additional funding for CONSERVATION FORCE, in an effort to fight the listing of the lion at the January 2010 CITES meeting. The article is scheduled to be printed in "Game Trails" (DSC), African Hunter & African Sporting Gazette. Hopefully it will do some good! If you have not already, give what you can. It will be helpful, I assure you! Thanks - Aaron


LION: End of an Era, Maybe!!!
By: Aaron Neilson

Have you ever seen one up close, a lion I mean? It’s beauty, its bravery, how about its cunning and skill! Maybe it’s just me, maybe I’m biased. But without question, the lion is the planet’s greatest creature! As a child he consumed my thoughts, and as an adult he consumed my passion. Not the grizzly bear, not the tiger, not even the mighty elephant has ever been deemed the “King of Beasts”! Only Simba holds that distinction, and now his very existence is being threatened forever. Only we the “Hunter” can save him from possible dire straits or worse! I implore you to help, help Simba and help us all before it’s too late!!!

Staring at the bait, my eyes wide open! Sleep, how could I sleep? I was bouncing off the blind wall, mere inches from my PH as he showed me just how it’s done. Waiting impatiently as the sun began to set across Zimbabwe’s Gwaii Valley, my excitement over-flowing, as I hoped beyond hope; the lion would make his appearance. Finally he did, but not alone. Instead he invited a guest, a lion that looked much like him. Obviously his brother, his partner in crime, but in this case, my intended quarry and lifelong dream! Even though it was almost 14 years ago, I will never forget the calmness of my guide Neil Lindsay as he replied to my overly excited claim that the lion had arrived. “Yep, that’s a lion”! Quickly I thrust the rifle through the peek hole, anxiously trying to find the one I had targeted in my crosshairs. About that time, Neil reached over and grabbed me by the scruff. Kid, relax my friend and enjoy the show. Those two lions aren’t going anywhere, they’ve got everything they need right there. Food, water, and a whole lot of time to kill, so hang on a minute and let’s take it all in. Easy for him to say, he wasn’t a 23 year old young man on his first African safari, hoping against hope to get a lion! After what seemed to me like an eternity, Neil uttered the words I was dying to hear, “Alright my boy, go ahead and let him have it”. Seeing as how they were basically twins, picking one out was simple as taking the one that offered the best shot! “Boom”, the crack on my .340 Weatherby echoed through the blind, and my “trophy of a lifetime”, was down!

That was 13 years, 13 lion hunts, and 10 trophy lions ago. Now, at the age of 36 I look back at the time, and dedication I gave to my lifelong pursuit of hunting and conserving the African Lion, and hope like hell that it’s not all been for not! However as January 2010 approaches we as hunters, conservationists, and international sportsmen, face the greatest threat to the African hunting heritage, and Lion hunting in particular, that we have EVER seen! Now, Kenya along with huge support from the longtime non-hunting country and anti-hunting community is pushing hard to have the Lion listed on Appendix 1 of CITES. This is an obvious and apparent ploy by both parties to simply put a stop to lion hunting throughout the entire continent. Of course their claims are weak at best, but never the less, it’s a real threat that we must stand up to at once. Not only a threat, but a clever move that most hunters may miss, if they do not pay careful attention! For years now, species such as the Leopard have been Appendix 1 CITES animals, and hunting of the leopard is as safe as ever. So, even though lion may go on the Appendix 1 listing, many sportsman think the worst that will happen is the United States Fish & Wildlife Service will simply put an importation “quota” on the lion, and hunting of this great animal will continue as normal. No, no, no my friends, we all need to look a little closer. Now, the wonderful anti-hunting activities of the U.S. government are rearing their ugly heads once again. Leaders of the Service have adopted and want to implement NEW regulations. The regulations make importation of any newly Appendix 1 animal to CITES, almost impossible. A regulation that would obviously be a mighty blow, to not only lion hunting, but all future sport hunting in general. Give an inch, they take a mile! If we let this most harmful precedent get started, get out of the way, cause the trains gonna roll!
With a stop put to importation of the lion into the U.S., desire to hunt the great cat by Americans will likely diminish immensely! Not to mention, as the U.S. makes this official, the EU (European Union) will likely follow suit. With lion importation blocked throughout the majority of the hunting community, sport hunting desires will drop to almost non-existent levels. As we know, when this happens the funding generated throughout most of Africa for the protection of the lion, through lion hunting, will cease to exist as well! Even so, how does this actually affect not only hunting, but the entire existence of the lion in general you ask? Consider this, many of the local communities and tribes that co-exist with the lion have learned to appreciate the value of the beast through the many benefits gained by the legal sport hunting of Simba. Funding for schools, churches, and many thousands of dollars, just to mention a few, are funneled to the locals, through lion hunting. Not to mention, hunting, hunters and PH’s all over the great continent of Africa, are the ONLY supporters both financially and physically of the ANTI poaching movement that is almost solely responsible for the longevity of many African species throughout much of the continent. Take those benefits away however, and watch the lion’s value fall dramatically in the eyes of the locals. In times not so long ago, the lion was considered by many as nothing more than a pest. A large, aggressive beast, that too often spent it’s time killing livestock or generally causing havoc that was simply not to be tolerated. But, as hunters and PH’s throughout much of Africa brought a positive value to the lion, many of them learned to not only tolerate, but to protect the king. Once again, that very protection is again threatened more so than ever before. Locals in Africa live only for the now and not a second longer. Take away the lion’s value to them and watch as he becomes expendable!! Survival is their only thought process, and only the strong survive. The Lion may be “King of the Jungle”, but man is the king of the planet. Species such as Simba will always take a back seat to human survival, especially in a place where survival is all that’s considered!!

Many of you know him and many more of you know of his tireless work in the protection of hunting throughout the world. I am speaking of John Jackson III, the face of Conservation Force (www.conservationforce.org) and the absolute leader in the fight against this senseless attempt to bring the lion to the brink of extinction. Mr. Jackson has made it his mission to fight and defeat this unbelievable act of hunting terrorism, but he can’t do it alone! According to him, this is the impending doom of African Lion hunting, if we the hunter do not take immediate action. Further, he advises that listing the lion as an Appendix 1 animal, would spell the end to lion hunting forever! Preventing this from happening is only possible by the creation of country-by-country action plans to conserve the lion. Now, the situation has become even more desperate. Mr. Jackson has been able to arrange for the experts and government cooperation to conduct the needed field studies, but necessary funding is extremely lacking, and time is running short. He adds, if we cannot present a hard-core conservation plan which opposes the Appendix 1 listing at the 15th Conference of CITES in January 2010, hunting the African lion will be a thing of the past! “When it’s over, it’s over,” he says!

What does he need you ask, money and lots more of it! A need for roughly $250,000.00 is immediate, and an additional $750,000.00 will be necessary over the next 3 years. Because of current economic conditions, donations have fallen drastically short for Conservation Force as of late. However, this could be the last opportunity to save the lion, and stop the needless CITES listing. So as far as Jackson is concerned, money cannot stand in the way. How will it be used, another valid question? Funding will help with preparation, collection and analysis of field data in each country. Then they will hold a workshop to draft the most effective action plan necessary to conserve Simba at the level which must be met. Regional plans created in 2005 & 2006 at the West-Central Africa workshop and the South-Eastern workshop will help to provide a model, but the actual plan for conservation needs to be taken by wildlife authorities on a country-by-country basis. This unprecedented effort will require an enormous amount of funding, but all money received will be dedicated ONLY to the National Lion Conservation Plan Initiative, and nothing will be deducted for expenses or overhead. Conservation Force is asking for individual as well as organizational support, and it’s needed well before the January 2010 Conference of CITES.

Conservation Force has helped create more lion conservation projects in more countries than any other conservation group in the world. Board members serve on the African Lion Working Group and the IUCN Cat Specialist Group as well. The organization helped to develop the Hunter’s Guide to Aging Lions in Eastern and Southern Africa, which I have a copy. Plus, they also completed the Chardonnet Lion Study, which is widely recognized as the most comprehensive review of the Lion throughout the African continent. Folks, it’s time for the hunting community to step up to the plate and take action, before it’s too late. Mr. Jackson has already contracted the necessary commitments throughout Africa, the lion wouldn’t wait! Now he needs your help paying for it. Conservation Force is a 501(C) (3) public foundation, all donations are completely tax deductable. They are asking for “Legacy Level” contributions from hunters who care! In other words, contributing as much as you possibly can has never been more important.

As I sit here writing this article, I can’t help but think back on all the Lion Hunts I have participated in over the years. From my first Zimbabwe hunt all those years ago, to some of my most recent and memorable ones! In 2002 I took a huge black-maned lion in Zim, in 2005 I shot my 5th. In 2007 finally I got the chance of a lifetime, an opportunity to hunt lion in Botswana. Fortunately I took one of the very last, legally sport-hunted lions from that country before the October 2007 closing. Lastly, I completed a life-long goal to shoot 10 lions in my lifetime, a goal I completed just this past September in Tanzania. Now, as I reflect on my experiences lion hunting has allowed me to have, sadness overcomes me. Sadness in thinking that perhaps it’s all coming to an end, not only for me, but for every sportsman that has ever dreamed of such an experience. Think it can’t happen, ask the wonderful guys operating hunts throughout Botswana! The threat is real and it’s now, and now’s the time to act. Losing lion hunting is not just the loss of the sport, but very likely the loss of the species! Something as hunters, we simply cannot tolerate to go peacefully into the night. Allowing this precedent to get started, will only allow the precedent to continue! Please help not only those of us that hold the lion sacred, but help all of us, including yourself to protect your hunting heritage!

Contact: Conservation Force and earmark your donation for the Lion Action Plans Initiative.
Conservation Force
P.O. Box 278
Metairie, LA. 70004-0278 USA
504-837-1233
www.conservationforce.org

Contact: Aaron Neilson at his website for additional info (www.globalhuntingresources.com)