The Government of Botswana has announced an intention to join the mounting movement across Africa in banning “canned” hunting, where wild animals, perhaps captive-bred, are slaughtered in fenced areas by pathetic “hunters.” Earlier this year, Botswana had already banned trophy hunting to preserve wild animal populations. [teaserbreak]
It takes a certain kind of cowardice to launch an arrow or explode a bullet from close proximity, blistering toward a captive, possibly drugged, incarcerated wild animal. Fences prevent fleeing. No sense of chase – “fair” or otherwise. No escape and no defense. Just appalling.
In South Africa, venue for the 2016 Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), canned hunting is not only legal, but the industry is staunchly defended by government.
But, it’s not just an issue of a cowardly human shooting a lion for entertainment and bravado; growing evidence suggests that lion bones from canned hunting operations are being shipped from Africa to Asia as a substitute for tiger bones. Tiger bones can be illegally and fraudulently sold as lion bones; proliferation of lion bones stimulates a market for carnivore consumption, leading to more and more deaths; and the marketplace will ultimately prove fatal for tigers and lions, and so on…
Canned hunting must be banned globally and uniformly in order to protect the lion: one of Africa’s greatest treasures. A true, uncompromising ban would declare the lion not a commodity, but a living creature, vital to the ecosystem, and protected in the wild.
Kenya banned sport hunting on wildlife reserves back in 1977, then throughout the entire country 10 years later. In 2013, Zambia banned lion and leopard hunting to protect their dwindling populations, citing the importance of a biologically diverse country as a strong tourist draw.
Ironically, of course, the United States bans neither sport hunting wild animals nor canned hunts, which continue to proliferate in Texas and other states.
But, we must certainly applaud any nation, like Botswana, that takes a stand against cruel hunting practices that undermine compassion and conservation. Bravo, Botswana! Who’s next?
Keep Wildlife in the Wild,
Adam