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Hunting trade show undergoes rebrand following protests in past years


SAMMY HUDES Updated: January 16, 2019


A hunting trade show that had previously drawn protesters concerned about the glorification of “trophy hunting” is back in Calgary this month with a new name.

Formerly known as The Africa Show, the event is taking place Jan. 25 to 27 as the Calgary International Hunting Expo.

More than 500 people are expected to attend the Ramada Plaza Airport Hotel for the trade show, featuring hunting outfitters from across Africa, Australia, New Zealand, the U.S. and Argentina, as well as Canada.

“It’s not just African outfitters, it’s worldwide,” said David Little, president of Safari Club International’s Calgary chapter, which is hosting the event.

“It’s broader than just Africa.”

In addition to firearms on display, booths will feature “more taxidermy than we’ve ever had before . . . which will be quite appealing to the eye,” said Little.


“Kids get a chance to get close to some of these animals that they’ve only ever seen pictures of,” he said.

Attendees will also hear from guest speaker Olivia Nalos Opre, a U.S.-based hunting consultant and advocate. In a 2015 article she wrote for USA Today, titled “Why we hunt, even lions,” Opre argued that “hunting and conservation go hand in hand.”

“Hunters do not condone the illegal activities or poaching of animals. There is a difference between hunting and poaching that is often missed by the media and general public,” Opre wrote.

The show is produced by the African Hunting Gazette, which has been putting it on for years.

It’s been subject to protests in the past, including two years ago when trophy hunting opponents held a demonstration despite a court order against the group involved in the protest.

Earlier that year, an Alberta Court of Queen’s Bench justice ordered the removal of emailed statements that were posted on Ban African Trophy Hunting’s Facebook page and other social media, “implying that trophy hunting is analogous to slavery and extermination of Jews.”

The judge stated at the time he wasn’t able to rule on the validity of other statements questioning the benefits of hunting or the competence of African wildlife management agencies, and rejected an application for a permanent injunction against the group.

The group was also involved in protests in 2016 held outside venues in several Canadian cities where African Events Canada promoted trips to hunt animals such as lions, leopards and elephants.

On its website, Ban African Trophy Hunting claims that although Safari Club International purports “to be filled with conservationists, its members are primarily interested in killing the most and the biggest animals to mount as trophies,” becoming listed in record books and winning awards.

Mike Donovan, chair of Ban African Trophy Hunting, declined an interview request, but stated in an email that his group wouldn’t rally outside this year’s event.

“We have opted to forgo protests for the time being, instead focusing on other endeavours to politicize the issue in Alberta and across Canada,” Donovan stated.

Little said trophy-hunting critics are welcome to protest, so long as they don’t use “any of the language that they used to and they can’t interfere with the expo being carried on.”

“They hang onto a couple of words like “trophy,’” he said, adding that hunters might prefer terms such as “souvenir” to describe part of an animal used for decoration.

“We use it to commemorate the animal, not simply for the hunter’s egos,” said Little.

“Our response is that the hunting community, or the act of hunting, does a lot of good for conservation. Every jurisdiction in Canada uses hunting as a tool for wildlife population management. This is probably a passionate but uninformed response to something that’s poorly understood by them.”