Fwd: 16 July PRESS RELEASE: RHINOS, RED HERRINGS AND RUSES: ARA RESPONDS TO SANPARKS CEO

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Michele Pickover <Michele.Pickover

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Thu, Jul 16, 2009 7:32 am

16 July PRESS RELEASE: RHINOS, RED HERRINGS AND RUSES: ARA RESPONDS TO SANPARKS CEO

 

 

 

 

 

PRESS RELEASE: 16 July

2009

 

RHINOS, RED HERRINGS AND

RUSES: ARA RESPONDS TO SANPARKS CEO

 

“Red herrings and spin-doctoring†is how Animal

Rights Africa (ARA) spokesperson, Michele Pickover, reacted to claims made

by SANParks CEO, Dr David Mabunda, during a media briefing in Pretoria on July

14, 2009.

 

Mabunda was responding to an earlier press release by ARA in

which concern was expressed about the SANParks decision to sell off over 300

White Rhino from Kruger National Park this year. “We were, and

still are, concerned about the destination and fate of those animals once they

are sold, and nothing Mabunda said during his media address has made us any

less concerned. Far from being a ‘cacophony of baseless emotional

outbursts’, as Mabunda referred to the assertions in our statement,

comments made by him during his media briefing on July 14th

and during interviews on Radio 702 on the 14th and 15th

July, confirm the validity of our concernsâ€

 

“Mabunda persists in denying that rhino are not trophy

hunted in national parks in spite of the fact that we have never made any

claims to this effect. What we have expressed concern about is that rhino

from KNP are moving across unfenced boundaries on the park’s western

border into the Associated Private Nature Reserves (APNR) and on the parks

Eastern border into Mozambique where they can then be privately sold to foreign

trophy hunters for exorbitant sums. Whilst on the one hand denying that

SANParks sells rhino to be hunted at the whim of the buyer, Mabunda admits that

SANParks has no control over the fate of the purchased rhino once they leave

the KNP, saying that hunting permits are issued by the relevant provincial authority

without SANParks’ involvement. This is consummate obfuscation and

doublespeak. The fact is that SANParks has no policy regarding the

destination and fate of the rhino it sells, which means that those animals

could end up in zoos and hunting facilities.

 

Mabunda’s indignation at claims by ARA that KNP rhino

could end up as hunting trophies is nothing more than a smokescreen for

SANParks’ problematic rhino management policy. Also, his claims

that the “recent emotional outburst by animal

rights organizations is informed by an anti-hunting campaign deliberately

directed at a soft target and cleverly disguised with our rhino population

management intervention as a scapegoat to celebrate Animal Rights Weekâ€,

is nothing short of ludicrous, particularly as Animal Rights Week has never

been observed in South Africa in 2009 and ARA has never heard of such an event.

 

Adding to ARA’s concerns about the sale of KNP rhino

is the July 15, 2009 Beeld report which quoted Mabunda as saying during

his July 14 media briefing that there are between 9000 and 12000 White Rhino in

KNP. “If this in fact what Mabunda claims then we are very

concerned that up 3000 White Rhino could disappear from KNP and the park

management would be none the wiser, “says Pickover.

 

Responding to an invitation by Mabunda during a Radio 702

interview on July 14 that ARA should join him for a “cup of teaâ€,

Pickover said, “We will certainly take him up on his offer and hope that

such a meeting actually does materialise. Two previous attempts by us to

meet with Mabunda have come to nothing, and a recent request to meet with

Kruger National Park scientists to discuss issues relating to elephant

management was also denied. However, should such a meeting take place we

have a number of questions we would like answered. These are:

 

What is the exact figure for the

number of rhinos (both black and white) killed by poachers in national

parks and protected areas since 2005?

How much money has been

made from these recent rhino sales?

Can SANParks provide us

with a detailed breakdown and proof of how this money will be spent?

 

Will SANParks heed/support the call made by ARA

for rhino management to be subjected to a public participation process and

for the establishment of National Norms and Standards for Rhino Management

in South Africa?

Does SANParks

have a written policy regarding the post-sale hunting of Kruger animals

and sale of Kruger animals to hunting destinations, zoos and circuses? If

yes what is it, if no why not?

What

role does the SANParks Ethics Committee play in decisions to sell

rhino? Is the sale of rhino approved by the SANParks ethics

committee? If so what is the process for approval?

How does

SANParks evaluate and investigate potential destinations? If

SANParks does not allow the sale of rhino to hunting destinations, is this

a condition of the sale and clearly articulated in the tender documents,

sale agreements etc.? If not, why not?

Will SANParks

provide ARA with access to their register of buyers of rhinos from

national parks since 1999?

How many

rhinos have been sold by SANParks since 1999, including their ages and

sexes?

If

SANParks is not specifically selling rhinos to hunters, hunting outfitters

and hunting destinations then why did they advertise the auction sale of

the rhinos recently in hunting magazines?

How did

SANParks arrive at the number of 350 “surplus†rhinos and

determine which rhinos would be removed? ARA is concerned about the

ecological and scientific validity of this decision and therefore requests

the scientific data and evidence to support this.

How does

SANParks ensure that Kruger animals are not being hunted outside the

boundaries of Kruger where fences have been removed with SANParks

approval?

 

 

“ARA believes that the management of all wildlife in South

Africa should be totally transparent and with stakeholder participation wherever

practically

possible, hence the transparent response by ARA to Mabunda’s

dismissal of our concerns and the public airing of the questions we will put to

Mabunda should he go through with his offer to meet with us,

“said Pickover. “We remain committed to policies that

underpin ethical conservation and

which show respect for the inherent value of every

animal.â€

Ends.

 

Contact

persons for ARA:

Steve

Smit +27 (0) 82 659 4711

Michele

Pickover +27 (0) 82 253 2124

ARA

email - info

 

ARA website – www.animalrightsafrica.org