Here is what I was able to find regarding the Trump hunts:
Two of the animals that the brothers may have shot are the African Buffalo (Syncerus caffer) and the African Elephant (Loxodonta africana). The African buffalo is listed as of “least concern” by the IUCN Red List and remains widespread in Africa with an estimated global population of 900,000 animals. By contrast, the status of the African Elephant is categorised as “Vulnerable” by the IUCN. However, the African Elephant population in Southern Africa (Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe) is stable and actually falls into the IUCN’s “least concern” category. Indeed, the African elephant population is higher in Southern Africa than any other region in Africa though there are considerable difficulties in accurately assessing the true extent of the continental population.
According to the IUCN the culling of elephants as a method of population control was discontinued in Zimbabwe in 1998 and replaced by a policy of translocation or contraception. However, the sport hunting of elephants is permitted in Zimbabwe as well as in Botswana, Cameroon, Gabon, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia. The sport is regulated and export quotas for elephant trophies are enforced.
The IUCN also notes that “some community-based conservation programmes in which revenue from the sport hunting of elephants reverts directly to local communities have proved effective in increasing tolerance to elephants, and thus indirectly in reducing levels of human-elephant conflict.” This statement tends to support safari organizer Hunting Legends' contention that they play a crucial role in supporting the local economy. Indeed, however distasteful big game hunting may at first appear to be to an outside observer the most prudent course of action would be to reserve judgement until one has been fully apprised of the facts.
Topic: Camping World.....Anti Hunting (Read 2373 times)
