Lion cull hunt in Botswana????

23 April 2012, 17:21

I met a guy at a local gun show yesterday. I had my DSC hat on and we began to chat about Africa and guns. He told me that his PH had a male lion for his wife and two females for him to shoot in a Botswana cull hunt. I asked when he was leaving. "In August" he replied. He went on to say that the lions weren't going anywhere. Perhaps I am ignorant on such matters but does this sound legit?

23 April 2012, 19:10

MARK H. YOUNG

DoubleDon,

This is a guess on my part but I think those lions most likely are on a private fenced property somewhere.

Mark

23 April 2012, 22:53

Saeed

The male is Fred and his two girlfriends are Gladis and Wilma!

23 April 2012, 23:42

JBoutfishn

24 April 2012, 00:30

Scriptus

quote:
Originally posted by Saeed:
The male is Fred and his two girlfriends are Gladis and Wilma!

Good one there Boss-Man

24 April 2012, 01:43

DoubleDon

I didn't want to run the bsflag

flag on this guy, but it just didn't sound right. I privately wondered if he was doing a canned hunt in S.A. and telling everyone it was a fair chase Botswana hunt. Mark, does Botswana have high fence areas for lion?

24 April 2012, 02:55

MARK H. YOUNG

Don,

I can't answer that for sure but I don't think so. That's why I didn't say that it sounded like a high fenced area in Botswana. The whole thing appears a little suspect to me.

Mark

24 April 2012, 04:57

Aaron Neilson

Hunting the African Lion in Bots, is illegal, and has been since the season closed in September 2007! There are NO captive/bred lion facilities that I know of in Bots? Certainly the hunting of female lions was NEVER legal in Bots. Likely he's "hunting" the Kalahari in SA? There's apparently some outfit there now, selling a 7-day "wild" lion hunt, with Lions coming across from Bots - that are being hunted as legit, problem cattle killers! Really??? I guess now they can determine months in advance when a problem lion will show up and become a cattle killer.

Keep in mind though, some of the biggest/baddest maned, wild lions, did in fact come from the Kalahari in southern Bots, that were in fact on Private land, but were also totally/completely wild lions. If you ever saw the lion that Steve Chancellor shot a few yrs ago, with Luke Blackbeard as the PH, that one was a prime example!

24 April 2012, 10:12

Russ Gould

quote:
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A lot of lions, as well as leopards, are shot in Botswana every year, but not by hunters. They are shot by cattle farmers with gov't blessing. No foreigner may participate in such a hunt, and no money can change hands. The trophies revert to the state where they receive marginal care and are sold at auction.

I don't know the numbers on Lion, but I believe about 300 leopards are taken each year. The game farmers suffer predation losses but don't get to shoot Lions at all. About 12 permits are allocated by lottery to game farmers for leopard per year. Derek Brink gets 6 of them. These hunts can be sold as trophy hunts, and some are taken with dogs.

I can tell you that Lion numbers have come back in some parts of Botswana (eg Hainaveld) to the point where game farmers are losing a lot of their game. Wild dogs same situation.

I predict there will be Lion hunts in Botswana before long. It makes too much sense to allow the safari industry to participate in the control. Cat populations can burgeon just as fast as they crash.

25 April 2012, 10:40

TwoZero

quote:
Originally posted by Russ Gould:
... It makes too much sense to allow the safari industry to participate in the control....

Certainly by now we all know better than to expect anything resembling common sense to be used by African governments.

...now that I think about it, most government activity lacks common sense regardless of the country of origin.

.

25 April 2012, 20:45

Aaron Neilson

quote:
Originally posted by Russ Gould:
quote:
Please Wait. Your request is being processed...

A lot of lions, as well as leopards, are shot in Botswana every year, but not by hunters. They are shot by cattle farmers with gov't blessing. No foreigner may participate in such a hunt, and no money can change hands. The trophies revert to the state where they receive marginal care and are sold at auction.

I don't know the numbers on Lion, but I believe about 300 leopards are taken each year. The game farmers suffer predation losses but don't get to shoot Lions at all. About 12 permits are allocated by lottery to game farmers for leopard per year. Derek Brink gets 6 of them. These hunts can be sold as trophy hunts, and some are taken with dogs.

I can tell you that Lion numbers have come back in some parts of Botswana (eg Hainaveld) to the point where game farmers are losing a lot of their game. Wild dogs same situation.

I predict there will be Lion hunts in Botswana before long. It makes too much sense to allow the safari industry to participate in the control. Cat populations can burgeon just as fast as they crash.

On average, well over 100 lions are killed every year, and have for years in Bots - as "PAC", by Bots wildlife dept. Over 120 were killed in 2010 alone!

Lion/Leopard have been doing well for years in Botswana, that was never the issue. Anti-hunting govt, the Joubert's, etc - have been the problem.

Russ, I love your optimism - and I really wish that trophy lion hunting would return to Bots, but that ain't gonna happen! Certainly not anytime in the near future, and very likely - never!