here we go !!!!!!! this is from an online zambian newspaper zambia weekly
http://www.zambia-weekly.com/
EU to take a stand on Zambia’s hunting ban?
LionAid, a charity dedicated to the conservation of lions, intends to ask the European Union “to place a ban on Zambia lion hunting imports”, arguing that the country cannot justify commercial off-take of lions based on its “paltry” lion populations. The charity claims Zambia has fewer than 400 lions left, while Minister of Tourism and Arts Jean Kapata last week explained that an aerial sur-
vey had established that Zambia has over 4,000 lions in the wild. LionAid said it would appeal to the US authorities to do the same.
Zambia lifted its ban on hunting of big cats last week in order to raise funds. The ban included both lions and leopards, but currently the lions are raising the most dust, as Zambia allegedly has a more viable leopard population of over 8,000 animals. The ban was imposed in January 2013 by Kapata’s predecessor, Sylvia Masebo, who also fired the top management of the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA), andcancelleda tender for 19 of Zambia’s 23 hunting blocks.
The lifting of the ban caused consternation amongst conservationists, who remain doubtful of ZAWA’s capability to monitor the hunting industry, which is rife with stories of bribery, corruption and dubious hunting methods. They want to know more about the new guidelines for the hunting industry. Last week, Kapata explained that the guidelines will be enacted through a statutory instrument, and that they have been found effective inneighbouringcountries. This week, she gave a few details, explaining that government had cut down on the numbers of big cats to be shot, although her statements were confusing: “Previously, hunters were allowed 5 cats in the hunting block, but now we are not allowing more than 2 cats per person,” Kapata explained, but added that “only 46 cats will be killed in the 23 hunting blocks, as only 2 will be allowed per hunting season”. Irrespective of the fact that there is a big difference between 2 cats per hunter and 2 cats per block, and that it is unclear whether or not ‘cats’ refer to lions and leopards, ZAWA Head of Research Chuma Simukonda stated in 2013 that 55 felines were hunted every year in Zambia before the ban. Withlicencesto shoot a lion costing around $25,000, 46 cats could translate into $1.1 million to government.