Guest guest Posted October 30, 2006 Report Share Posted October 30, 2006 Last Updated: Friday, 27 October 2006, 18:42 GMT 19:42 UK E-mail this to a friend Printable version from the BBC website. Hunting 'has conservation role' By Elli Leadbeater Elephants are one species to have benefited, Mr Lapointe argues Rifle-toting tourists hunting exotic animals could actually help protect Africa's vulnerable species, a leading conservationist has suggested. Elephant populations had benefited from a permit system that allowed sport hunters to kill a limited number of the beasts, according to Eugene Lapointe. Mr Lapointe was head of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) between 1982-90. Animal welfare campaigners rejected the idea as " morally unjustifiable " . Writing in the BBC News website's Green Room, Mr Lapointe, president of the International Wildlife Management Consortium (IWMC), said that despite the best efforts of conservationists, the number of threatened species continued to grow. He suggested that it was time to reconsider bans on hunting: " Unfortunately, most African economies are poor and wildlife conservation has to compete with many pressing demands for public money. " So conservation projects are going to be most successful if they can be self-supporting; in order words, if they can generate income and provide local jobs, " he wrote. A number of nations in southern Africa had adopted a " sustainable use " philosophy, including Namibia, South Africa and Botswana, he added. " They have issued permits to sport hunters to kill a limited number of elephants that are pre-selected according to factors like age and sex. They cannot shoot breeding animals, for example, " Mr Lapointe explained. As a result, these nations had well-stocked and healthy elephant populations and poaching was not a major problem, he observed. Costly conservation The idea of " trophy hunting " being a weapon in the conservationists' armoury to protect vulnerable species was supported by Peter Lindsey from the University of Zimbabwe. There's no question in my mind that if hunting were to be banned, the conservation consequences in Africa would be dire Dr Peter Lindsey " Realistically, for conservation to succeed, wildlife has to pay for itself in Africa, " Dr Lindsey told a recent meeting at London Zoo. " If local people do not benefit, it is usually lost. " Trophy hunting involves allowing high-paying guests to shoot in the company of a professional hunting guide. Each hunter pays, on average, 10-20 times more than most eco-tourists would for their holiday. He said that it can encourage landowners to accommodate and protect threatened wildlife in areas that do not appeal to most eco-tourists because they are politically unstable, too remote, or simply less scenic. In South Africa, landowners were given permission to allow shooting of excess male white rhinos once the species began to recover after a sharp decline. This gave landowners an incentive to buy and provide land for the rhinos, which is thought to have significantly accelerated their recovery. Elephants that trample crops are often shot or poisoned by locals Dr Lindsey, who is not a hunter, carried out research to assess>> both the positive and negative effects of hunting on conservation. He found that the industry is not without setbacks. Estimates of how many animals can be shot without threatening the population are sometimes based on guesswork, because no research data is available. Irresponsible lodge owners, who allowed illegal and unethical practises, such as hunting caged animals or shooting from cars, posed a severe threat to the industry's prospects. Hunters also needed to find ways to make sure that the money from rich tourists did not end up in overseas bank accounts, but reached local communities, he added. 'Unjustifiable' These concerns were shared by animal welfare groups. International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw) spokeswoman Rosa Hill called the idea of shooting elephants and rhinos " morally unjustifiable " . " There is very little evidence that the funds raised from killing wildlife are ploughed back into conservation, " she said. " There are also biological reasons why trophy hunting is not a good idea. Generally, hunters want to kill the biggest, strongest and fittest animals and this can have disastrous implications for the species. Ms Hill said a lack of knowledge about how many animals there were and how the creatures behaved could result in a sudden population crash. " Trophy hunting quotas are not set with proper knowledge of true population sizes, so it can be difficult to measure a species' decline, " she explained. But Dr Lindsey believed that the overall shortfalls did not outweigh the conservation benefits. He said: " The industry's not perfect, and we have to work on the problems; but there is no question in my mind that if hunting were to be banned, the conservation consequences in Africa would be dire. " Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 30, 2006 Report Share Posted October 30, 2006 Dear Ms Yitze Ling, Thought you might be interested. Regards, ------------------------------ Royal praise for deserving cause *Reprinted with permission from The Post and Courier<http://www.charleston.net/stories/123003/edi_30edit3.shtml>in Charleston South Carolina * *December 30, 2003* Not many organizations in the world can boast of a royal patron, and it is rare for an entity in South Carolina to be so honored. The International Primate Protection League of Summerville deservedly has such a longtime supporter. " Get me a gun, Rice Eyes, I want to bag one. " - Prince Philip to a zoo attendant during a 1989 inspection of an endangered panda exhibit at Beijing Zoo. [image: UP]<http://observer.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,6903,664901,00.html#top> *Anti-hunt pack hounds Philip* The Duke of Edinburgh has angered protesters by wading into the debate on fox hunting. *Vanessa Thorpe Sunday March 10, 2002 The Observer <http://www.observer.co.uk/>* Animal rights campaigners are demanding that the Duke of Edinburgh cancel a lecture in support of field sports to be delivered four days before the House of Commons votes on fox hunting. Prince Philip, who is the president of the Royal Society of Arts, has invited a well-known countryside sports enthusiast and conservationist to lecture in the historic London headquarters of the society this week. Philip will chair the event, which will have an audience of 200. 'The Duke of Edinburgh is hardly known for his sensitivity,' said Banks, the Labour MP and prominent animal rights campaigner. 'His total disregard for public opinion is renowned, so I am sure the lecture will go ahead anyway. The whole thing is in keeping with his record. On the other hand, it could be quite useful to have a member of the royal family openly lined up against us.' In a statement issued to The Observer, the League Against Cruel Sports said the lecture would put forward well rehearsed arguments that gloss over the horror of the death of the huntsman's quarry. 'Prince Philip is entitled to his opinion, but our supporters on the backbenches know that a fox is not killed with a simple nip to the back of the neck,' a spokeswoman said. Every year, the Royal Society invites Philip to host a lecture. This year's theme had been chosen before the Government's decision to hold a vote on fox hunting was announced. The proxim ity of such a high-profile talk to the vote has incensed the anti-hunting lobby. 'This will draw the royal family into a political issue while it is being debated in Parliament,' Michael Foster, the Labour MP for Worcester who introduced the original Bill to ban fox hunting, said. 'All we can hope is that 650 MPs will not be swayed by the opinions of well-known people, whoever they are. It is the vote taken in the House four days later that will count.' A spokesman for the Duke at Buckingham Palace told The Observer that the lecture would go ahead, in spite of protests at a member of the royal family aligning himself with a political view on the eve of an important Commons vote. Graham Suggett, vice-president of the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, will speak on the significance of hunting, shooting and fishing in conserving the countryside. He said he would not focus on the moral issues involved in fox hunting. 'I will be looking at conservation after carrying out 18 months of research for the Standing Conference on Countryside Sports. The benefits of the major country sports are well documented. The country's 3.3 million anglers do a fantastic job, but, of course, they are confined to still waters and rivers. 'The shooting community actually does the most to maintain farmed lowlands and these are people who put in time and money because they enjoy the sport.' Suggett will argue that if it were not for the deerstalkers, deer would 'run riot'. Hunting makes a smaller contribution to conservation, he admits, while pointing out that the seven recently banned border packs had put a combined total of £2,900 into managing the land around them. 'This is quite a lot when you consider they are only a small group. This money goes into keeping rides open and keeping hedges going, and if they don't do it, who will?' he said. Suggett argues that the disposal of 'fallen stock', or dead livestock, is also a key role of hunting community who traditionally have taken the animals to feed their hounds. 'MPs have heard all these conservation arguments before,' said Foster. 'There is no reason why a pack of hounds kept for drag hunting cannot be fed on fallen stock, or why those who love the countryside will not work to maintain it unless they are hunting small mammals.' A record, and one I think will be hard to beat. *~ George V following a big game hunting trip to Nepal where he killed twenty-one tigers, eight rhino and one bear. The shoots were managed so none had any chance of escape.* ------------------------------ It was very lucky as there are not many big ones left. *~ George VI during a 1926 Ugandan hunting trip where he shot an elephant whose tusks weighed ninety pounds each.* http://www.bartleby.com/66/90/45290.html The Columbia World of Quotations. 1996. NUMBER: 45290 QUOTATION: I don't think a prostitute is more moral than a wife, but they are doing the same thing. ATTRIBUTION: Prince Philip (b. 1921), British Duke of Edinburgh. speech, Dec. 6, 1988. quoted in Daily Mail (London, Dec. 7, 1988). Prince Philip was discussing the morality of hunting. On 10/30/06, yitzeling <yitzeling wrote: > > Last Updated: Friday, 27 October 2006, 18:42 GMT 19:42 UK > E-mail this to a friend Printable version > from the BBC website. > > Hunting 'has conservation role' > By Elli Leadbeater > > Elephants are one species to have benefited, Mr Lapointe argues > Rifle-toting tourists hunting exotic animals could actually help > protect Africa's vulnerable species, a leading conservationist has > suggested. > Elephant populations had benefited from a permit system > that allowed sport hunters to kill a limited number of the beasts, > according to Eugene Lapointe. > > Mr Lapointe was head of the Convention on International Trade in > Endangered Species (CITES) between 1982-90. > Animal welfare campaigners rejected the idea as " morally unjustifiable " . > > Writing in the BBC News website's Green Room, Mr > Lapointe, president of the International Wildlife Management Consortium > (IWMC), said that despite the best efforts of conservationists, the > number of > threatened species continued to grow. > > He suggested that it was time to reconsider bans on > hunting: " Unfortunately, most African economies are poor and wildlife > conservation has to compete with many pressing demands for public money. > " So conservation projects are going to be most successful > if they can be self-supporting; in order words, if they can generate > income and provide local jobs, " he wrote. > > A number of nations in southern Africa had adopted a > " sustainable use " philosophy, including Namibia, South Africa and > Botswana, he added. > > " They have issued permits to sport hunters to kill a limited number of > elephants that are pre-selected according to factors like age and > sex. They cannot shoot breeding animals, for example, " Mr Lapointe > explained. > As a result, these nations had well-stocked and healthy elephant > populations and poaching was not a major problem, he observed. > > Costly conservation > > The idea of " trophy hunting " being a weapon in the conservationists' > armoury to protect vulnerable species was supported by Peter Lindsey > from the University of Zimbabwe. > > There's no question in my mind that if hunting were to be banned, the > conservation consequences in Africa would be dire Dr Peter Lindsey > " Realistically, for conservation to succeed, wildlife has to pay for > itself in Africa, " Dr Lindsey told a recent meeting at London Zoo. > " If local people do not benefit, it is usually lost. " > > Trophy hunting involves allowing high-paying guests to shoot in the > company of a professional hunting guide. Each hunter pays, on > average, 10-20 times more than most eco-tourists would for their > holiday. > > He said that it can encourage landowners to accommodate and protect > threatened wildlife in areas that do not appeal to most eco-tourists > because they are politically unstable, too remote, or simply less > scenic. > > In South Africa, landowners were given permission to > allow shooting of excess male white rhinos once the species began to > recover after a sharp decline. > > This gave landowners an incentive to buy and provide land for the > rhinos, which is thought to have significantly accelerated their > recovery. > Elephants that trample crops are often shot or poisoned by locals > Dr Lindsey, who is not a hunter, carried out research to > assess>> both the positive and negative effects of hunting on > conservation. > > He found that the industry is not without setbacks. > Estimates of how many animals can be shot without threatening the > population are > sometimes based on guesswork, because no research data is available. > > Irresponsible lodge owners, who allowed illegal and unethical > practises, such as hunting caged animals or shooting from cars, posed > a severe threat to the industry's prospects. > Hunters also needed to find ways to make sure that the > money from rich tourists did not end up in overseas bank accounts, but > reached local communities, he added. > > 'Unjustifiable' > > These concerns were shared by animal welfare groups. > International Fund for Animal Welfare (Ifaw) spokeswoman Rosa Hill > called the idea of shooting elephants and rhinos " morally unjustifiable " . > > " There is very little evidence that the funds raised from killing > wildlife are ploughed back into conservation, " she said. > > " There are also biological reasons why trophy hunting is > not a good idea. Generally, hunters want to kill the biggest, strongest > and fittest animals and this can have disastrous implications for the > species. > Ms Hill said a lack of knowledge about how many animals > there were and how the creatures behaved could result in a sudden > population crash. > " Trophy hunting quotas are not set with proper knowledge > of true population sizes, so it can be difficult to measure a > species' decline, " > she explained. > > But Dr Lindsey believed that the overall shortfalls did not outweigh > the conservation benefits. > > He said: " The industry's not perfect, and we have to work on the > problems; but there is no question in my mind that if hunting were to > be banned, the conservation consequences in Africa would be dire. " > > > > For more information on Asian animal issues, please use the search feature > on the AAPN website: http://www.aapn.org/ or search the list archives at: > aapn > Please feel free to send any relevant news or comments to the list at > aapn > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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