At the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting gathering in London on 29 June to mark the forthcoming anniversary of Cecil the lion’s untimely death, the haunting sound of Cecil’s recorded roar was played over an audio system – as speaker Peter Egan put it, the sound was a painful …
Trophy Hunting, Part Two: End of the game
Banner image: Lions seen at Willie Jacobs’ farm, Ukutula Lodge, on 31 July 2015 in Brits, South Africa. Jacobs’ farm was heavily criticised after the release of the documentary ‘Blood Lions’, which details the distasteful practices of canned lion breeders and hunters. (Photo by Gallo Images / Rapport / Herman Verwey) By …
Trophy Hunting, Part One: The nasty colonial sport of shooting wild animals
Banner Image – A male white lion, part of a rare white lion pack, in the wild in South Africa. (PHOTO: EPA/LIESL EICHENBER) Op-Ed by Don Pinnock, Daily Maverick, 25 April 2019 Trophy hunting has historically been the preserve of colonial, white males. The only thing that has really changed is that …
DEA Progress Report; Captive Lion Breeding and Rhino Demand Management
In the 12 March 2019 “Captive Lion breeding: DEA progress report; Rhino Demand Management; with Minister” the insular, circular thinking of South Africa’s Department: Environmental Affairs (DEA) is apparent under the auspices of the recently appointed Minister of Environmental Affairs, Ms Nomvula Mokonyane. Captive Lion Breeding Well, let’s start by …
Trophy Hunting Culture
Banner image: Namibian desert elephant, Kambonde – “…the animal’s death was a bloodbath” – “Questionable killing of Namibia’s desert elephants,” Africa Geographic, 25 October 2017 With the Global March for Elephants and Rhinos (GMFER) due on 13 April 2019, it seem appropriate to review trophy hunting in light of proposals to the …
Syndicates move south; Botswana president calls it fake news
Excellent background piece, with an explanation of the circumstances that have led to the current crisis in Botswana and the alarming prospect of proposals for a return to wildlife killing for income (and pretending there is any conservation imperative that justifies it)……… Article by Don Pinnock, Daily Maverick, 25 February …
Where wild things are under threat, wildlife trade needs to be dealt with
Banner image: “Tigers rub against a cage fence at a captive breeding centre for large predators at an undisclosed location in the Free State, South Africa, in this undated picture released in November 2005 by the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW). (Photo: EPA)“ By Lynn Johnson, Daily Maverick, 20 …
Proposed return to ivory and rhino horn trading
Banner image courtesy of Environmental Investigation Agency Petition: “Don’t let CITES delist Elephants and Rhinos as endangered animals!,” Care2Petitions GMFER Petition: “NAMIBIA AND SWAZILAND PROPOSALS TO CITES: TRADE IN RHINO HORN AND TROPHY HUNTING OF RHINO,” Change.Org The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES), will …
Protecting Hunting from the Hunters
On the 1 January 2019, a platform “Conservation Frontlines” was launched to raise the ‘virtues’ of hunting in the public consciousness (against the swathe of negative press that has been acknowledged as swaying public opinion against trophy hunting). Conservation Frontlines suggests that: “The best chance to secure social acceptance for …
2018 Review
Banner image courtesy of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration At the close of 2018 after 30+ years of flouting international law, Japan has announced that it is set to leave the International Whaling Commission (IWC) and recommence commercial whaling in the summer 2019, within Japan’s ‘own waters:’ “Government spokesman Yoshihide Suga …