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Namibia: Park Talk Zooms in On Leopard Trophy Hunting Tomorrow
17 FEBRUARY 2014



Namibia is one of the premier destinations for leopard trophy hunting in Africa.

At the Ministry of Environment and Tourism (MET)'s Park Talk at the Franco Namibian Cultural Centre (FNCC) tomorrow at 18h00, MET chief warden F Lifo presents a study on trophy leopard hunted in Namibia between 2001 and 2012.

The talk takes place in the FNCC Cinema and entrance is free.

In 1990, Namibia was allocated a leopard harvesting quota of 100 animals per year, which was later increased to 250 in 2004. However, this quota was based on anecdotal evidence without any scientific research to determine the sustainability of this quota. Moreover, the harvesting quota was allocated without taking into consideration the number of leopards being killed as problem animals in the country every year.

MET chief warden Lifo initiated a study to determine the number of leopards trophy-hunted and killed as problem animals and to assess trophy quality of leopards trophy-hunted in the past 11 years. The outcome of the study will be used by conservationists to determine whether the current quota size is sustainable and, amongst other, to establish limits of acceptable changes in leopard trophy quality.