Im not too happy about this.... http://www.foxnews.com/politics/201...-importing-elephant-trophies-from-africa.html The Trump administration on Wednesday announced that it will issue permits for elephant trophies from Zambia and Zimbabwe, reversing a 2014 ban under President Obama. A U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service official told ABC News that the agency received new information from the countries that the move would benefit conservation in the area. “Legal, well-regulated sport hunting as part of a sound management program can benefit the conservation of certain species by providing incentives to local communities to conserve the species and by putting much-needed revenue back into conservation,” the FWS statement said.
Hunting of deer, elk and winged fowl are alright with me, even though we don't do it. But, elephants and other exotic animals.........no way!
If this means taking the elephant tusks once again...I'm definitely not in agreement with this. Rhinos are being slaughtered right and left for their horns and even when conservationists cut the horns off to stop the slaughter...it is still being carried out anyway. Some things just aren't right...this is one that isn't to me.
I'll stay out of this fray, save for one comment. The statement regarding responsible conservation control is dead-on correct. Concerning that lies the fact that "control" of proper conditions for their existence lies within the region where the animals originate from, and thrive. Despite rigorous approaches by local authority the illegal slaughter has pretty much continued, even increased, much of that due to corrupt political officials. THEY cannot effectively control, thus making laws passed outside their jurisdiction supposedly limiting the slaughter rather moot. Frank
I have watched many programmes on this subject and as hard as it is to watch, I am compensated by the 'fact' that there are marvellous people patrolling these areas with guns to catch the poachers and we don't need idiots promoting the poachers ! If you see the baby elephants who have witnessed their Mothers slaughtered, I can tell you, it is no different to a human child witnessing the same
The fees hunters pay for legally hunting animals ( including elephants ) are a major source of funds for wildlife preserves and control of poaching. Controlled hunting of wildlife ( including elephants ) is good for the wildlife population. Banning the trophys from being brought home actually hurts the elephant population because less people are willing to spend the money for a legal hunt. Personally, I never hunted for trophys but many people do. They should have the right to bring home whatever they get.
In a perfect world where people would obey the laws in this area my opinion might be different...but to many people disregard the laws and just slaughter for their own profit...instead of for responsible conservation control.
The US has lotteries for hunters to kill off excess animals in national parks and other federal lands. I know there was one for buffalo not long ago. These African countries are very poor and big game hunters pay fortunes to hunt these animals legally. That income helps to fund the wildlife areas that are set aside, and these areas can only support so many elephants, or lions, or whatever. I'm not a hunter, and I am not interested in having the head of a dead animal on my wall, but wealthy Americans are far less likely to spend the money to hunt these animals if they can't bring a trophy home. Some of these countries have a GDP of only $100,000 or so. These countries need the money and, according to their wildlife experts, many of whom were educated in the United States and are often people who were born in the United States, the animal populations need to be controlled. It takes a lot of land to support an elephant and, since the countries where elephants are most prevalent are largely dependent upon subsistence agriculture, they don't have a lot of land. Social media (and Hollywood) likes to pretend that these animals are being slaughtered illegally. While there, no doubt, is illegal killing of animals in Africa, the rich Americans who go on hunting safaris in Africa aren't the ones who are doing it. By the way, did you know that you can hunt African trophy animals in Texas?
Well I think it should be stopped, there wouldn't be poaching if it wasn't profit making. Take that out of the equation. Put in some steps if an animal population gets out of hand and then allow hunting but not until then. My husband was a hunter and I didn't like it...we didn't need the meat for food.
Reality doesn't always care about our feelings, however. These are countries that experience military coups every couple of years, and sometimes more frequently than that. Political opponents and reporters are routinely jailed, tortured, or killed. The lives of people aren't very significant to the people who run these countries, so we shouldn't be surprised that the ones who have the ultimate authority aren't crying over the body of a dead lion or elephant. I have no doubt that they have wildlife experts who do care about what they do, but they don't have the authority to take anyone's land to expand the size of their reserves. If a wildlife reserve can't even pay for itself, some new ruler is going to come along and sell that land off to someone who can, and then the only elephants left will the ones in zoos, now that we've closed the circuses down.
I'm sure it's not an easy fix and solution obviously...nothing is simple but doesn't mean I like it. No matter how you look at it, it's not a good headline. Especially when the first thing that pops into your mind is Trump's sons with their trophies. After that its elephants and all the wonderful stories and photos of them. I have about 100 elephants but they're mostly ceramic.