https://www.lusakatimes.com/20...n-lion-hunting-2017/



Zambia set to reopen lion hunting in 2017
October 4, 2016



Lion hunting in Zambia is reopening after a few years of closure, this is according to Chairman of the Professional Hunters Association of Zambia Roland Norton.
Mr Norton explained that there are clear prospects for lion hunting coming back this coming year.

“Zambia is an amazing destination for lion,” noted Mr Norton as he described the exclusively open range hunting opportunities.

“You can be very confident that if you are going with a reputable outfitter, that you are going to get a really, really good lion,” he emphasized.

Mr Norton’s positive outlook reflects an increased number of older lions in Zambia.

Those lions that were two years old when the ban took effect are now five years old, three-year-olds are now six and four-year-olds are now seven.

Mr Norton explained that originally the government tried to set the minimum age for a huntable lion at seven years, but there is no irrefutable way to determine the age of a live wild lion.

“We agreed with government to a compromise,” said Mr Norton, “and we agreed that a lion that was five years old or older would be permitted.”

Mr Norton explained how male lions have a productive age, and a post-productive age at which time they become a target for the hunting industry.

“When a lion has gone beyond his productive age,” explained Mr Norton, “he becomes a liability to the under lions who are trying to come in and take over his pride and breed his females.”

While nature often moves post-productive male lions aside, Mr Norton pointed out that was a waste when instead hunting such a lion can draw so much revenue into a country and do so much good to a community.

According to Mr Norton, Zambia has always had very good populations of lion and they always considered that they managed the lion populations very well.

“The setting of a quota and the harvesting of the lion in a sustainable way is what’s absolutely of paramount importance,” he explained.

The quota for the upcoming hunting season is 24, “…and the lion we have coming up are really, really good quality trophy lion,” said Mr Norton, adding that in his experience, it’s the Professional Hunters’ professional duty to try and shoot the oldest and most viable trophy he or she can find.

Open your wallet boys...

While superficially this might look like a good thing, I don't think it is.

quote:

“We agreed with government to a compromise,” said Mr Norton, “and we agreed that a lion that was five years old or older would be permitted.”

and

quote:

“The setting of a quota and the harvesting of the lion in a sustainable way is what’s absolutely of paramount importance,”

contradicting each other? This will be more fuel for antis.

Lions become adult around 4 years. That's (roughly) when they start to try to take over prides and often don't succeed very quickly. Female are pregnant for about 100 days, cubs are vulnerable to new males up to at least 18 months of age. This put the age of the male lion involved easily at 6 years or beyond. So harvesting 5 year old lions goes against Mr. Norton's logic of harvesting lion in a sustainable way which he calls is of 'absolute paramount importance' as it will expose cubs to extra risks, jeopardizing the sustainability of the population.

If hunting is conservation then rules should be set to ensure the hunting is sustainable, not to protect hunters from being penalized if they do something which jeopardizes the species they hunt.
A 6 year old lion might be hard to distinguish from a 5 year old. So is a 7 year old from a 6 year old, and a 5 year old from a 4 year old.
There should be an incentive for the PH/operator/outfitter like in Niassa. A 4 year old lion is easy to tell apart from a 7 year old. 5-6 = legal but no extra points for the concession, nor any negative points. <5 is negative points for the concession, 6+ is extra points for the concession. Depending on quota and number of points, an x number of positive points will give you an extra lion on quota the next year. Per x negative points you lose a lion on your quota next year.

Add to that cost structures like fairgame proposes where you pay a buffalo-hunt day fee, add some daily bait rate. If you get a good cat on the bait you can take
it but the daily rate will jump to the daily cat rate, and you'll have to pay for the full 14 day(leopard) or 21 day (lion). This makes it seem like the cat costs a lot
more, but in fact it would be so anyway (only in that scenario you paid for the chance of a cat, now you pay for a certainty), and in this way a hunter will rather keep his money in his pocket for a next hunt, and only take the cat if it's a brute.

Another point is. The biggest market for Zambian lion trophies, the US, is closed now. USFWS looks at how Zambia (and other African countries) manages their lions. That a proposed lion age is negotiated down by hunters doesn't help USFWS change its opinion that Zambia (or other African countries) manage their lions well, or that hunters in those countries do a good job of
looking after their areas.

not sure why he is saying this and it was quoted in SCI email as well, as lion were open this year........there are offers on here for lion this year....just seems like a good way of reminding the antis again about this.......

Some awesome Lions have come out of Zambia this season and there has been a precautionary approach by the the professional hunters.

Let us see who will spoil it all for us again next year.