Anti-hunting brigade costs conservation millions

[AfricaHunting.com]

Namibia’s rhino conservation has lost about N$7 million due to the pressure that anti-hunting lobbyists have exerted, because they are unhappy about hunting licenses being dished out to professional hunters.

This was said by the Minister of Environment and Tourism Uahekua Herunga at the annual general meeting of the Namibia Professional Hunting Association (NPHA).
Herunga said the auction of a Namibian black rhino hunt at the Dallas Safari Club in Texas earlier this year received much negative publicity from people who do not understand the principle of conservation through sustainable utilisation.

The permit was sold by the club to the Texas hunter Corey Knowlton for N$3.7 million (US$350 000) at the time, sparking outrage internationally among animal activists and wildlife groups.
According to Herunga, while the permit was sold for N$3.7 million, it could have generated more than N$11 million (US$1 million).
Herunga also said this was the amount initially offered by the Dallas Safari Club.
However, this offer had been withdrawn shortly before the auction, due to pressure from anti-hunting lobbyists.

“One could therefore say that the lobby groups cost Namibia’s rhino conservation initiative US$650 000 (N$7 million), as the total proceeds from the auction are earmarked to go to the Namibia Game Products Trust Fund, and will be distributed among a number of rhino conservation projects,” said Herunga.
He said recent pressure on the United States government by animal rights activists to deny the black rhino trophy an import licence could derail Namibia’s plans to use the record N$3.7 million that was raised at the auction for law enforcement training, patrol vehicles and a national intelligence system needed for protecting the rhino population from poaching.
The Dallas Safari Club has recently said it will cancel Knowlton’s black rhino hunt, if the United States Fish and Wildlife Service denies Knowlton’s request to import the rhino’s carcass as a trophy.

The US wildlife agency has started accepting public comments on the permit application and will make a decision on December 8.
It will take into account the state of the rhino population in Namibia and will also examine exactly how the auction funds will be administered.
Herunga stressed that the funds raised through the auctioning of the rhino hunt are vital to fund the country’s battle against poaching.
“We must act decisively for the rhino and to do so require both purposeful commitments to practical solutions and financial resources to put such efforts to work on the ground.”
He said that the threat of poaching has continued to escalate, while various multifaceted interventions are being implemented in
Namibia.

According to Herunga poaching is part of a multi-billion dollar worldwide illicit wildlife trade and the ministry is working closely with wildlife experts, magistrates, prosecutors, lawyers, police officers, members of the Namibia Defence Force (NDF), intelligence experts, custom officials, immigration officials and many other experts to combat poaching.
“We need to stop this illegal killing of our wildlife now.”
He said it is therefore critical that the import permit be granted without unnecessary delay.



Source: The Namibian by Ellanie Smit

 

[BRICKBURN]

But they saved that one Rhino from being hunted!

 

[ScottG]

All they do is complain. They wouldn't have raised they money to out bid anyone. Forest for the the trees don't get the big picture.

 

[Royal27]

But they saved that one Rhino from being hunted!

And he will now live happily ever after. Until he starves to death slowly, or is killed by a poacher for free.

 

[ScottG]

But doesn't that that make perfect. They doom him to a fait worst than death.

 

[enysse]

I sure wish things could be different, but common sense doesn't exist with the antis.

 

[TokkieM]

Wonder if any poachers fund the Antis, their objectives are very similar

 

[James.Grage]

As mentioned before, the anti hunter are not concerned with the well being of any animal population.

The anti hunters just want to stop all hunting, they are doing it one species at a time.

The problem is that they are getting hunters to agree with them.

If i cannot hunt it, no one else can either...

 

[Bsums]

If they actually cared about the wildlife why not buy the hunting tags, permits, etc and then not use them. Oh wait, they won't put their money were their mouthes are. All they do is whine and actually just hurt the animals more. Why not pay for anti-poaching teams, buy all the hunting land, go out their yourself to protect them, and actually do more than blabber about. The amount of animal deaths caused by successful anti-hunting organizations may be 10 or 20 fold what a successful hunting organization accounts for. Hunters kill a couple old and often non breeding animals while anti-hunters kill the whole herd.

 

[Diamondhitch]

If they actually cared about the wildlife why not buy the hunting tags, permits, etc and then not use them.

There actually was a group doing this in AB years ago. Applications for draws were about $3.50 for 3 or 5 draws, I cant remember which. Then they did not actually buy the tags when they drew them. Harvest goals were not met so more draws tags were made available lol. Then they squacked about that. If you had to purchase drawn tags this type of thing would have been off the table right from the beginning.

NM has the right idea with their desert bighorn tags. I front the $3500 tag fee before I am entered in the draw and it is credited back when I fail to draw.

 

[cmc]

Minnesota had a huge problem with this for bears, antis drawing tags and not using them.