The reprehensible practice of canned hunting

The reprehensible practice of canned hunting



Feb 2007 - There will 
be no more canned hunting of large animals in South Africa 
after June 1, South African Environment Minister Marthinus van 
Schalkwyk announced today. A canned hunt takes place on a 
fenced piece of private property where a hunter can pay a fee 
to shoot a captive animal. 
Minister van Schalkwyk today published regulations covering 
threatened and protected species. The regulations are the 
result of three years of consultation between government, 
civil society, the wildlife industry and animal welfare 
groups, the minister said. 
"We are putting an end, once and for all, to the reprehensible 
practice of canned hunting," said van Schalkwyk, who is 
himself a hunter. 
"South Africa has a long-standing reputation as a global 
leader on conservation issues," van Schalkwyk said. "We can 
not allow our achievements to be undermined by rogue practices 
such as canned lion hunting." 
Captive-bred lions in South Africa 
While the hunting of captive bred predators has not been 
completely stopped, the new rules will make it tougher to 
qualify for hunting permits. 
"The regulations specifically prohibit hunting large predators 
and rhinoceros that are 'put and take' animals," said the 
minister. "In other words, a captive bred animal that is 
released on a property for the purpose of hunting within 24 
months." 
The regulations make allowance for the shooting of a captive 
raised animal two years after it is released, because then it 
is presumed to be wild. 
But conservationists object to that loophole in the new rules. 
Louise Joubert of the San Wildlife Trust, which lobbied for 
tougher regulations, said once a lion is used to being cared 
for and fed by people, it is never again truly wild. 
The International Fund for Animal Welfare, IFAW, is also 
concerned. "To introduce captive bred predators into the wild 
without adequate preparation will result in suffering and 
starvation before being hunted. These animals will not adapt 
to the wild and be able to hunt without a proper protocol of 
supported release,” said Neil Greenwood, campaign researcher 
for IFAW. 
Animal Rights Africa spokesperson Steve Smit says the new 
regulations do not prevent the practice of canned hunting in 
any way. He claims the Department of the Environment and 
Tourism marginalized animal rights groups in the drafting of 
the legislation and instead consulted with only provincial 
conservation authorities and the hunting industry. 
"Between them they have agreed on legislation that panders to 
the profit-driven bloodlust of the hunters and breeders," says 
Smit. 
Chris Mercer of the Campaign Against Canned Hunting is 
concerned that conservation officials may fail to enforce the 
new regulations. 
"The same conservation officials that created the problem of 
canned hunting in the first place have been given the task of 
enforcing the regulations," says Mercer. 
Overall, Greenwood said IFAW is encouraged by the new 
legislation. "However we remain deeply concerned with the 
welfare of between 3,000 and 5,000 captive bred predators 
currently held in facilities throughout South Africa." 
"Some breeders may not qualify for licences in terms of the 
stringent new regulations and will therefore be faced with the 
dilemma of what to do with these lions, cheetahs and other 
predators,” said Greenwood. 
The South African Predator Breeders' Association, SAPBA, has 
said that breeders may have to euthanize the estimated 3,000 
captive bred lions in the country, many of which were bred to 
supply the canned hunting industry. 
SAPBA was established last May to convince Minister van 
Schalkwyk not to ban canned lion hunting and breeding, but to 
merely regulate the industry and "rid it of unethical 
operators." 
SAPBA is critical of the new regulations, saying they will 
result in the total destruction of a "legitimate and 
sustainable industry that is of national importance." 
Minister van Schalkwyk said today that "the regulations signal 
the start of a cleanup of the hunting industry. They lay the 
basis for a well regulated and ethical hunting and game 
farming industry in South Africa." 
The regulations introduce a uniform national system for the 
registration of captive breeding operations, commercial 
exhibition facilities, game farms, nurseries, scientific 
institutions, sanctuaries and rehabilitation facilities. 
These institutions will be required to meet strict criteria. 
For the first time, provision will be made for the recognition 
of hunting organizations and the application of codes of 
ethical conduct and good practice. 
Hunting thick skinned animals and large predators with a bow 
and arrow will be prohibited, and hunting from vehicles will 
no longer be allowed. 
For the first time, said the minister, nationally listed 
species will have uniform conservation status across the 
country. 
South African Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk 
participates in the Eighth Conference of the Parties to the 
Convention on Biological Diversity March 2006 in Curitiba, 
Brazil. 
"The same legal standards will apply throughout the country, 
closing loopholes and removing discrepancies between 
provinces," he said. 
A broad range of restricted activities will now require 
permits. 
"The illicit trading of endangered fish, bird and plant 
species, like cycads, will be rooted out," said the minister. 
"Government will have new muscle to ensure that our 
biodiversity is utilized in an ecologically sustainable way." 
In order to meet South Africa's commitments under the 
Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, 
CITES, the government is establishing a national scientific 
authority, to replace the current fragmented system.

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