Renewed Appeals to Ban Trophy Hunting
It is an issue of contention for many living in South Africa as well as for many conservationists and now the topic of trophy hunting is once more in the news, with renewed calls to put an end to what many consider an archaic practice.
Hunting is something that is closely connected to the history of the South African people. But what was once a practice used to feed families, is now something that is being increasingly abused by overseas guests, coming to the country to claim a trophy. Hunting for food is not considered trophy hunting, so the hunting of many different kinds of antelope is still viewed as normal, especially as many still eat venison meat, but hunting a specific type of animal, such as a lion or elephant is hugely frowned upon, although under certain conditions it is still legal.
Each year, South Africa grants a certain number of trophy hunting permits per animal. So hunters, generally those from richer nations, apply for these permits through hunting agencies, and then journey to the country to claim their “prize”.
Recently, two huge travel industry companies, TripAdvisor and Booking.com, joined with the World Animal Protection organisation to add their voices to a statement calling for an end to trophy hunting.
The statement, was addressed to the South African government, an entity that has been considered one of the biggest role players in the industry, and it publicly asked for trophy hunting to be ended and in its place, non-consumptive alternatives were highlighted. In its essence, the organisations stated that there are other economic measures which can be introduced to encourage and incentivise conservation over the practice of hunting wildlife for the sake of a trophy.
In the statement, the World Animal Protection organisation said, “Trophy hunting is a horrific and cruel practice that has egregious animal welfare and conservation and impacts. It is a sport that is legal in several Southern African countries, South Africa (RSA) being a key player.”
“Ultimately, we want to end trophy hunting in South Africa, by 2030, by disrupting the systems that underpin it. In terms of our innovative solution, we aim to get South Africa to develop and adopt wildlife-friendly tourism as a viable economic and humane alternative to trophy hunting.”
This statement comes at the same time that many Western countries have begun to ban the importing of wildlife trophies, in a move that is hoped to discourage would be hunters from travelling to the country with the aim of shooting an animal.
There is a big difference between hunting for food (or at least with the goal of processing all of the animal) and hunting with the goal of only claiming a trophy (which is normally a head and/or a skin), and if South Africa hopes to stay a world leader in conservation, this is a discussion that still needs to be had.
