The Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) issued a statement saying hunting activities must be undertaken within the framework of regulatory prescripts.
This comes after non-governmental organisations raised issues regarding the hunting of captive-bred lions and other predators for commercial purposes at the 2016 International Union for Conservation of Nature’s World Conservation Congress currently under way in the U.S.
It was also indicated that there is an increase in the number of animals hunted from species that are on the verge of extinction. OFM News consulted with the Director of the Tourism Research Unit at the North West University, Prof. Melville Saayman, regarding the implication associated with the hunting of captive-bred lions.
Prof. Saayman says to ensure sustainable tourism and economic growth in this country a breeding programme needs to be developed. He says a clear distinction also has to be made between canned hunting and captive hunting.
“From an economic point of view, hunting captive-bred lions plays a significant role as there is a large number of South African farmers that breed lions at this stage. From a conservation point of view it is also important, because there is merit in breeding lions. It also has a negative impact on how people perceive South Africa and our wildlife management. It costs up to 65 US Dollars to hunt a lion” said Prof. Saayman.
He says the decrease in the population of these wild animals impacts our tourism industry negatively, which consequently affects our economy. He says the national government needs to review the permit issuing processes of hunting in order to minimise the extinction of our wildlife. –
Katleho Morapela
katleho@centralmediagroup.co.za
