SCI, another gem from the anti's today

[wesheltonj]

The World’s Largest Hunting Club Is Auctioning the Chance to Kill Hundreds of Animals
More than 20,000 hunters are expected to attend Safari Club International’s convention in Las Vegas this week.

Buyers test rifle scopes at a Safari Club International Convention. (Photo: Max Whittaker/Reuters)


Feb 3, 2016

Taylor Hill is an associate editor at TakePart covering environment and wildlife.

• Bio

The world’s largest trophy hunting organization, Safari Club International, is hosting its annual convention in Las Vegas this week, where more than 20,000 big game hunters are expected to bid on the chance to kill an animal.

It’s dubbed the “Ultimate Hunters’ Market,” and this year the club is auctioning off 300 hunts taking place in 32 countries across Africa, Europe, Asia, and North and South America. Bidders can sign up for the chance to kill African elephants, Australian water buffalo, and Alaskan bears.
The sales are expected to garner millions for the club (the 317 hunts sold last year brought in $2.7 million) and come as tensions rise among hunting advocates and wildlife conservationists.

It doesn’t help the club’s image that Cecil the lion’s killer, Minnesota dentist Walter Palmer, is a member. The club suspended Palmer after questions about the legality of the hunt—in which Zimbabwe’s most famous lion was lured out of a protected area and killed—arose. The club appears to have reinstated Palmer after Zimbabwe authorities only brought charges against his guide, according to the Humane Society.

In a new report, the animal welfare group outlined the scope of U.S. hunters’ involvement in trophy hunting.

More than 1.2 million animal trophies were imported into the U.S. between 2005 and 2014. That’s an average of 126,000 trophies a year, according to data the Humane Society obtained from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Thirty-two thousand of those trophies came from Africa’s “Big Five” hunts; the five animals targeted are the African lion, the elephant, the cape buffalo, the rhino, and the leopard. Telecky said hunting clubs award special prizes for members who kill all five.

“It’s like a hit list, and the club honors those award winners at these conventions,” she said.

The trophy killings don’t stop with Africa. The Humane Society’s report, Cecil 2: Trophy Hunting America’s Lion, details the toll hunters take on American mountain lions, also known as cougars, pumas, or panthers

Trophy hunters killed 29,000 mountain lions in the United States between 2005 and 2014. The top five deadliest states for the big cats are Idaho (4,833 killed), Montana (4,047), Colorado (3,414), Utah (3,200), and Arizona (2,893

RELATED: How Cecil Changed Wildlife Policy

Bradley Bergstrom, professor of biology at Valdosta State University in Georgia, said state and federal wildlife agencies claim that recreational hunting of mountain lions, wolves, and other predators is necessary to manage the species and protect livestock and elk herds.

“But those arguments don’t square with recent science on the issue,” Bergstrom said. “Carnivores, especially wolves, are self-regulating. Of course they’re going to affect overpopulated deer and elk pops when they are reestablished in an area, but once they are established, they control their own population growth by their own density; their population is limited by inter-pack aggression.”

Josphat Ngonyo Kisui, executive director for the African Network for Animal Welfare, said another argument clubs make is that trophy hunting funds conservation efforts through permit fees.

“But instead of relying on those trophy hunting profits, countries need to realize the income potential from wildlife ecotourism,” Kisui said. “In South Africa, $9.2 billion—approximately 2.6 percent of the country’s GDP—was generated by wildlife watching, almost 14 times more than trophy hunting. The best way to save a species is to ensure that the animals stay alive.”

 

[wesheltonj]

Well I can't get this story to post correctly.

I hit the bio button for this guy, he writes for 'TakePart" which is part of Participant Media, which is part of the "Social Action Network" a who's who of progressives and liberals. Of course HSUS is a member.

These guy have an button in the article so that so can send a letter to USDA to end hunting. They were looking for 10k letters, they have exceed that goal. And of course the article is posted to Facebook.

 

[wesheltonj]

Here's all your friends that participate with the Social Action Network.

Arts and Culture













Education





Environment






























Food
















Global Health and Development


















Health







Social Justice










































Wildlife

 

[ThomasBeaham]

Any time I come across obviously biased, slanted, piss yellow "journalism" like this hunk of crap that quotes the

H.S.U.S. as a source, I always take the opportunity to post a link to some interesting facts about H.S.U.S.

Enjoy-------> http://www.humanewatch.org/

 

[enysse]

That's the problem with the anti's they link together and fight together something we hunters and fisherman could learn from instead of fighting over methods, seasons and trophies.

 

[CAustin]

Glad to see the list of organizations I should stay far far away from! Very extensive list folks!

 

[wesheltonj]

I found the list interesting too. NO more money for United Way and Justice for Vets.

 

[vette447]

Agreed. I am done giving thousands per year to the United Way. I will be searching out a more worthy charity

 

[gvincent]

Really sad that WWF is on the list. Not too long ago, they were advocates for ethical and sustainable hunting. Apparently, that is no longer the case. As far as United Way is concerned, I have but two words "Bye Bye".

 

[ack]

Bunch of freaks ! I donate to no one xcept what I personally hand to whomever needs it..Will not donate to churches or feed theww children, etc and on and on..

 

[enysse]

I spend my money on hunting, food, utilities, vehicles and housing and non of the above places ever get a penny from me, I know their agenda.

 

[AB2506]

The antis like to reference each other and quote each other. However, I seldom see any hard facts and figures and the backup for the same.

I also love how they think ecotourism is the answer to everything. They don't seem to realize that ecotourism in Africa is pretty much confined to the national parks where there is established infrastructure and easy access, not much for nasty bugs and diseases. They assume the rest of Africa must be the same. They do not realize that they are condemning the very animals they want to save to death for if it don't pay, it don't stay.

Idiots.

After Cecil blew up, Ivan Carter offered to take anyone on a lion photo safari. He outlined the costs and fees to be incurred to replace the hunting of a lion (community fees etc) . He offered to take as many as who wanted to spend IIRC about $16,000 USD. I do not think there has been one taker. So much for ecotourism replacing hunting in Zimbabwe.

 

[wesheltonj]

Really sad that WWF is on the list. Not too long ago, they were advocates for ethical and sustainable hunting. Apparently, that is no longer the case. As far as United Way is concerned, I have but two words "Bye Bye".

The Link is the WWF USA, the parent may still be on-board with hunting.

 

[wesheltonj]

And here might me the reason, they WWF is joined Social Action Network, this women is a director in the WWF USA office:

SHARON YOUNGBLOOD is a biologist with training in the fields of immunology and molecular genetics. She has served on the faculty of several institutions, and has been a consultant to industry. Youngblood has held research associate positions at both the Howard Hughes Institute and the Molecular Cardiology department at UT Southwestern. She has served on the board of directors of the Dallas Zoological Society and Presbyterian Health Resources. She is presently a trustee at the Hockaday School and the St. Philips School. After receiving a BS in biophysics from Southern University, she completed her PhD at MIT, followed by postdoctoral training at UT Southwestern. Youngblood belongs to numerous organizations including the National Wildlife Federation, The Humane Society of the United States, ASPCA, WWF, The Sierra Club, Ocean Conservancy and Nature Conservancy. She has traveled the world with her husband and five children.

But then this is who was just appointment Chief Scientist:

Dr Rebecca Shaw has been appointed WWF Chief Scientist.
Dr Shaw comes to WWF with a sterling scientific reputation of over thirty years as a recognized thought leader on a wide array of conservation issues, including climate change, biodiversity, and ecosystem services.

As WWF’s Chief Scientist, Dr Shaw’s leadership will be essential for identifying the most important scientific questions that challenge our mission or that advance solutions that we bring to those challenges. In addition, she will recruit a new cadre of leading natural and social scientists to respond to the new challenges that our planet faces and the opportunities to address them.

Dr Shaw has published widely, including a number of peer reviewed works in leading journals such as Science and Nature, and is the recipient of numerous research fellowships. She is a lead author of the section of the 2014 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s Fifth Assessment Report that focuses on impacts, adaptation, and vulnerability, and serves as a member of the California Climate Adaptation Advisory Panel. She holds an MA in Environmental Policy and a PhD in Energy and Resources from the University of California, Berkeley.

Dr Shaw has the experience, instincts and presence to knit together the growing team of scientists across our Network. She comes to WWF from the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), where she has been responsible for developing and implementing the vision and strategy of the Land, Water & Wildlife program. She joined EDF in 2011 after almost a decade with the Nature Conservancy California Chapter and after conducting ground-breaking research on the impact of climate change at the Carnegie Institution for Science’s Department of Global Ecology at Stanford University.

Dr Shaw will be based in WWF’s growing office in San Francisco, California where she enjoys a strong network of relationships built over many years, and where she will strengthen collaborations with WWF’s science-based partnerships with universities, businesses and individuals in the region. She will also guide the build-out of a more robust regional institutional presence for WWF in the United States.