Great news.

What ever happened to that Texan who wanted to bring them (and Buff) to his zillion acre spread in TX ? Some fine hunting and excellent border security !

quote:

Originally posted by artshaw:
What ever happened to that Texan who wanted to bring them (and Buff) to his zillion acre spread in TX ? Some fine hunting and excellent border security !

Its against the law---

http://www.tpwd.state.tx.us/re...h_hunt/hunt/nongame/



"Canned Hunts" (Dangerous Wild Animals)

No person may kill or attempt to injure a dangerous wild animal (African or Asiatic lion, tiger, leopard, cheetah, hyena, bear, elephant, wolf, or rhinoceros, or any subspecies or hybrid of these animals) that is held in captivity in this state or that is released from captivity in this state for the purpose of being killed, nor may any person conduct, promote, advertise, or assist in the hunting of a dangerous wild
animal.

That's a chuckle as some game rancher just had an employee killed (speared) by an Oryx. then there the guys who raise Longhorns.......

Thought Texans were tough ..... I'd rather have a herd of Buffs around than a sow Grizzly with two cubs.

Besides the law appears to apply to having them to hunt, what if I just want a few for decoration ?

Lion Conservation Task Force, Inc.
A Texas based non-profit organization
Dedicated to conserving Africa’s wild-lions and habitat
P.O. Box 665
Gainesville, Texas 76241
Phone: 303-619-2872 or 903-271-2752
Fax: 580-276-1606
E-mail: ledvm@msn.com and globalhunts@aol.com


Public Comments Processing, Attn: FWS-R9-ES-2012-0025
Division of Policy and Directives Management
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
4401 N. Fairfax Drive, MS 2042-PDM; Arlington, VA 22203

February 8, 2013



Dear Dr. Brisendine and Colleagues,

While estimates vary and exact counts are non existent, it is estimated that approximately 30,000 African lions remain in the wild. Their long-term survival is threatened primarily by loss of habitat, retaliatory killing over depredation on livestock, poaching for bone sales to the Middle and Far East, snaring, and the loss of prey.

There are concerns about the negative impact of trophy hunting on lion populations but the extent of the effects is unknown. The Lion Conservation Task Force (LCTF) does agree that with the ongoing decline in global populations of lions and the lion’s range…that reform is warranted in the trophy lion hunting industry, but we are concerned that an up-listing to Endangered status in the US may have unexpected negative consequences for conservation. With 60% of the current sport hunted trophies being imported into the US, up-listing would virtually put an end to the trophy hunting industry in many areas by making it economically unfeasible with resultant impact on the viability of hunting as a form of land use, but would not influence other human causes of lion mortality.


There is an old saying in Africa: “It must pay for it to stay”. While this may be foreign to our way of thinking in the US…it is a fact of life in Africa and one that must be considered.

Lion hunting gives value to the lion and the land they inhabit. This value transforms into habitat preservation, acts as a deterrent against poaching and retaliatory killing, revenue to wildlife authorities for conservation in areas that would otherwise be unsupported (most hunting blocks are unsuitable to photo-tourisms), and continued revenue for under funded wildlife authorities. Rather than eliminating ways for wildlife to generate income, we need to find more ways for rural Africans to benefit from wildlife.

LCTF Recommendations:

• Primarily, we support reform of lion hunting rather than trophy importation restrictions. Science-based management must be implemented by all range countries to ensure that lion hunting is beneficial rather than detrimental to the long term survival of the species. Research has shown that there is a non-impact huntable subset of male lions. Thus, we have defined the ‘Huntable Male Lion’.


The Definition is as follows:
The hunting and scientific communities agree that lion hunting must be biologically sustainable, in which harvests should have no negative long-term impact on lion populations. An essential step in attaining sustainability is the adoption of standards on what is a ‘huntable’ male lion; that is, a lion that can be hunted without any negative effect on the sustainability of the local population from which it is removed.

The most important factor to consider is age. The exact age of a huntable male lion is dependent upon many regional factors such as habitat and associated differences in lion ecology and social structure and thus, may vary slightly regionally, but the general concept holds true for all. The below definition has been endorsed by scientists working in Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia.

Huntable male lions are defined as those male lions whose off-take has no negative impact on the sustainability of local lion population dynamics. Research has shown that these are typically lions six years of age or more that have completed at least one breeding cycle. To reduce risks of infanticide, males of any age known to be heading prides or known to be part of a coalition heading prides with dependent cubs (18 months old or less) should not be hunted. Based on these considerations, a huntable male lion is at least six years of age and is not known to head a pride or be part of a coalition heading a pride with dependent cubs. The ideal huntable lion is an older individual known to be a transient, that is, no longer in breeding association with any pride.

For the long-term sustainability of this valuable resource, if the maturity or pride status of a lion is in question, it is strongly encouraged that the hunter foregoes taking that lion. Research models have confirmed that responsible hunting does not alter wild lion population dynamics if restricted to males which meet the criteria of a huntable lion.

Authors:
Colleen Begg, Ph.D
Project Leader, Niassa Carnivore Project
Niassa National Reserve, Mozambique


J. Lane Easter, DVM
Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons
Co-founding member, Lion Conservation Task Force


George Hartley, BA, LL.B
Professional Hunter
Tanzania Game Tracker Safaris


Luke Hunter, Ph.D
President
PANTHERA

Aaron Neilson
Professional Hunter
President, Global Hunting Resources
Co-founding member, Lion Conservation Task Force

Craig Packer, Ph.D.
Distinguished McKnight University Professor
Department of Ecology, Evolution & Behavior
University of Minnesota
Principal Investigator, Serengeti Lion Project

Paula A. White, Ph.D
Director, Zambia Lion Project
Center for Tropical Research
University of California, Los Angeles USA

Karyl L. Whitman, Ph.D
Wildlife Biologist
Co-Author, A Hunter’s Guide to Aging Lions in Eastern and Southern Africa

The LCTF is working to accomplish global acceptance of this definition and currently in the US…the Dallas Safari Club has adopted it and Safari Club International has it under advisement and consideration for adoption. In Africa, the Tanzania Professional Hunting Association is considering adoption. We will continue to strive for universal acceptance of this definition.



• Secondarily, the LCTF also supports law reform in all range countries. We would like to see universal adoption of laws enforcing rules similar to those of the Niassa National Reserve in Mozambique.


Lion Hunting Rules Proposed by LCTF
1. General Rules

1.1 Elected trophies:
• Only male lions may be hunted.
• Only adult males, which are a minimum of 6 years old, may be hunted as the hunting of young lions can cause severe disruption to pride structure and, if excessive, can cause a population to collapse.
• As a rule no problem lions (e.g. man eaters) should be sold as trophy animals. However, should a client be in a position to hunt a problem lion (and specifically man eaters) the issue of the operator/client retaining and exporting the trophy will be assessed by APPROPRIATE WILDLIFE AUTHORITY on a case by case basis.

1.2 Trophy monitoring:
• For each lion on quota, a monitoring kit will be provided by APPROPRIATE WILDLIFE AUTHORITY containing a datasheet and blood sample paper.
• For each lion trophy, the Professional Hunter is expected to take photographs (side view, front view of head and shoulder, nose, teeth and full body), and a blood sample from bullet wound while in the field.
• All questions on the datasheet must also be completed.



2 Trophy Quality Control

2.1 Responsibility: monitoring of trophy quality shall be conducted by the APPROPRIATE WILDLIFE AUTHORITY.

2.2 Procedure: The APPROPRIATE WILDLIFE AUTHORITY shall arrange to collect trophy kits (photographs, blood samples and datasheets) from the operators and measure and age the skulls before trophies are certified for export.

2.3 Export eligibility: Absolutely no lion verified by the APPROPRIATE WILDLIFE AUTHORITY to be less than 4 years of age shall be eligible for export.



3. Assigning of Quotas:

3.1 Points System:
• Quotas will be assigned independently for each concession dependant on the age of lion trophies taken in the previous hunting season according to the Points System.
• The points system is self-regulating; it rewards ecologically sound hunting by allowing an increase in the quota to a maximum of five. Hunting of young lions under the age of six years is penalized. Operators receive no decrease in quota for not shooting a lion.
• Using this system, the off-take in each block will increase or decrease in accordance with real densities in each concession, accounting for hunting effort, anti-poaching measures (i.e. decreased illegal off-take) and natural population fluctuations (disease, drought etc.).
• The maximum of five lion for each concession is in place initially to ensure that the quota remains within 2 - 4% of the predicted adult male population. It is considered unlikely in the foreseeable future that more than five male lions of appropriate age will be available in each block. However this can be reassessed in the future.
• New concessions will be awarded an initial quota of two lions.
• If the quota is reduced to zero (i.e. only young lions are shot in the previous year), no quota is provided for the next year, but the quota will start at one lion the following year.
• Details of all trophies (datasheets, photographs of mane, teeth and nose) will be kept on file with APPROPRIATE WILDLIFE AUTHORITY. It is mandatory that a premolar be made available from each trophy so that field aging techniques can be fine-tuned over time.

3.2 Procedure:

The Points System is a three-step process:

Step 1:
At the end of each hunting season each lion trophy taken is aged by APPROPRIATE WILDLIFE AUTHORITY representatives based on teeth, nose color, mane development and general body condition.

Step 2:see Niassa Reserve Rules above to understand this chart...it did not transfer well...they are the same
Points are assigned to each trophy according to the following system.
Number of Points for Each Trophy
Quota >6yrs No Trophy 4-6 yrs <4 yrs incomplete info
quota of
3 or more 4 3 2 -3 0
quota of
2 4 3 2 0 0
quota of
1 6 3 0 0 0

For each concession, points are tallied for that year, divided by 3, rounded up to next whole number up to a maximum of 5 lions and that is the quota issued for the next hunting season.

Step 3:
The APPROPRIATE WILDLIFE AUTHORITY will endeavor to inform operators of the new quota to allow time for marketing at safari shows in January.

3.3 Unethical Behavior:

In cases of Safari Operators or Professional Hunters behaving unethically (according to the applicable law in the country), APPROPRIATE WILDLIFE AUTHORITY may apply more severe actions, which might include trophy confiscation or PH License confiscation or cancellation of the lease agreement with the operator.

It is considered unethical behavior to hunt a lion less than 6 years of age. Specific additional penalties for hunting a lion less than 6 years of age are outlined below and will be levied by the APPROPRIATE WILDLIFE AUTHORITY:

• Lions less than 4.0 years of age
o Export will not be allowed and the trophy becomes the property of the APPROPRIATE WILDLIFE AUTHORITY.
o The PH responsible for the harvest of a lion in this category will automatically have his/her license suspended for the following hunting season. After 2 suspensions for this violation, a third offense results in a permanent life long ban from obtaining a PH license.

• Lions 4.0 – 4.11 years of age
Export of this category will be allowed with a double trophy fee paid by the client. The second trophy fee will be levied after age certification and will be paid prior to export.

• Lions 4.0 – 5.11 years of age
If a PH harvests 3 or more of these in any consecutive 5 year period or less, an automatic suspension of his/her Dangerous Game license for the period of one year will occur.



4. Trophy Export
• The standard operating procedures apply.
• Only trophies certified as 4 years old or older, after credible post mortem inspection by qualified inspectors of the APPROPRIATE WILDLIFE AUTHORITY, can be exported.
o Lions certified to be in the age range of 4.0 – 4.11 may only be eligible for export after a second additional trophy fee is paid in full.


Tanzania has already adopted a “six-year-old-rule” and is presently ‘considering’ amending its laws to mimic those written above. Of course Mozambique has ‘similar rules’ in the Niassa Reserve and the LCTF is applying pressure for these rules to be put in place in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Namibia, and other Range Countries.



In Conclusion:
The LCTF believes strongly in ethical sustainable hunting as a conservation tool. We also believe strongly that if the governments of the range countries, the hunting industry, and the client hunters themselves embrace rules and definitions as laid out in this letter along adequate protection from poaching that the lion populations will begin to increase to carrying capacity.

We feel strongly that with the positive changes that ‘ARE’ occurring that any unilateral action taken by the USF&WS such as an up-list to endangered status would have catastrophic effects.

Therefore, with the negative consequences of an up-list laid out and the beginning of acceptance of these current recommendations taking place, the LCTF recommends against the African Lion being listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act.



Sincerely,



J. Lane Easter, DVM
Diplomate of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons
Co-founding member, Lion Conservation Task Force



Aaron Neilson
Professional Hunter
President, Global Hunting Resources
Co-founding member, Lion Conservation Task Force