South Africa to End 'Canned Hunting'

Washington Post ^ | May 2, 2006 | CLARE NULLIS

[RWR8189]

CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- South Africa proposed new laws Tuesday that would end the "canned hunting" of wildlife bred in captivity to be shot in closed reserves by wealthy tourists.

Breeding threatened or endangered large predators such as cheetahs, lions or leopards for any type of hunting would be forbidden. Also banned would be all hunting that causes unnecessary suffering, such as the use of bows and arrows on large animals that can take hours or days to die.

"The days of captive breeding of listed species for any purposes except science and conservation are over," Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk said.

The new laws would "close the loopholes that have allowed environmental thugs to get away with immoral activities like canned hunting," he said.

South Africa is famous as the home of the so-called Big Five animals _ elephants, rhinoceroses, lions, Cape buffalo and leopards _ and its flagship Kruger National Park attracts hundreds of thousands of camera-toting visitors.

But in the shadow of the Kruger _ where all hunting is outlawed _ a plethora of smaller, unregulated parks have sprung up, aimed at visitors who carry rifles and hunger for the thrill of a hunting safari.

[Dog Gone]

If you remove any commercial incentive for breeding these animals, I suspect you threaten their survival even further.

But Africa hasn't been making a lot of brilliant decisions lately.

[TYVets]

But Africa hasn't been making a lot of brilliant decisions lately.

For Humans or Wild Animals it seems.

[Gordongekko909]

No kidding. Let's see how long these animals last now that the incentive to breed and protect them from poachers has been removed.

[Dog Gone]

This directive will put local businesses, veterinarians, and support staff out of work.

It will increase the hunting pressure on wildlife on "non-canned" hunts. Less animals will be born, but probably as many will die.

This can be spun as some sort of a moral thing, but it's not. It's like decreeing here that only wild cattle may be hunted for meat. There won't be any left in a very short time.

[Gordongekko909]

You have a very appropriate user ID.

[Dog Gone]

LOL

[marktwain]

Just like in Zimbabwe. When the villagers were given property rights in the Elephants, Elephants prospered, there were few poacher (they were not tolerated by the locals) and wealthy hunters were able to have elephant hunts.

Then Mugabe decreed that the elephants belonged to him and his cronies, poaching picked up, and the elephant herd decreased, because elephants were now "property of the state".

At least, that is how I understand it.

[FierceDraka]

I have no problem with this.

Hunting animals bred to be hunted strikes me as dishonorable.

IMHO, you hunt animals in their natural habitat. You MUST eat what you kill, and you MUST pay tribute to the creature who died so that your family will have food.

Hunting for trophies is fine, as long as you consume the flesh.

[Chena]

I agree, and I'm a hunter.