South Africa Takes Aim at 'Canned Hunting'

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South Africa Takes Aim at 'Canned Hunting'

 

October 31, 2005 — By Ed Stoddard, Reuters

JOHANNESBURG — South Africa plans to stamp out operators who allow the " canned

hunting " of lions and other game raised by humans and shot in small spaces, part

of an effort to clean up the multimillion-dollar hunting industry.

 

" We have recommended a total ban on canned hunting, " said Crispian Olver, who

chaired a panel of experts on the industry which submitted a report and

recommendations to Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk earlier this

week.

 

" South Africa doesn't want to continue to hide and be embarrassed about its

hunting industry. It is the one underregulated and dark side of the conservation

sector, " he told Reuters in an interview.

 

Hunting is big business in South Africa, bringing in around $160 million a year

in foreign exchange earnings from overseas hunters. It is also a way of life for

many in the countryside.

 

If you have serious money you can hunt the so-called Big 5 -- elephant, rhino,

buffalo, lion and leopard.

 

But the industry's reputation has been sullied by media reports about game

breeders who rear lions in captivity before releasing them into small enclosures

where they are shot as " trophies " by foreign hunters.

 

Professional hunters say such operators are a small minority but they have cast

a cloud over the industry.

 

Olver said the panel was also concerned about game farmers who rear other

species, including various types of antelope, on small properties for hunting.

" We have concerns about taking intensively raised animals and mixing them with

free ranging wildlife. These are agriculture systems where animals are dependent

on humans for survival, " he said.

 

" Once they are fed and imprinted by humans in a confined space, then in our

view, you cannot reconcile that with the principle of fair chase. We want to

stop such practices to protect the integrity of the hunting industry, " he said.

 

Almost all hunting in South Africa is done on private land, making it difficult

to regulate -- especially when the landowner is heavily armed and suspicious of

intruders.

 

Olver said recommended range sizes for " fair play " hunting would vary from

animal to animal.

 

Many South African farmers have switched from beef and other livestock to game

because it is more lucrative. It is also more labour intensive than beef

farming, a welcome development in a country with an unemployment rate of over 26

percent.

 

Not all are involved in hunting. Many also cater to tourists who want to view

wildlife.

 

" Many people have converted to game farming because it is more economically

lucrative so it is a more efficient use of land in many ways, " said Olver.

 

He said the panel, which considered input from professional hunters as well as

animal welfare organisations, was not planning a Kenyan-style ban on all sport

hunting. It simply wanted to regulate the industry and clean up its sordid

image.

 

A draft from the panel's recommendations will be published early in 2006 for

public comment. Legislation and regulations will then be crafted.

 

Source: Reuters

 

 

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