Botswana lifts ban on hunting! [update]

update (24 May 2019): The Government of Botswana has released more details regarding the hunting suspension.

• Hunting will be allowed on a small, strictly controlled basis, with fewer than 400 elephant licenses to be granted annually, as has been approved by CITES.
• Priority will be given to Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and Trusts in allocation of hunting quotas (over 50% of quota to be given to CBOs and Trusts).
• Hunting will be re-instated only in designated Concession Hunting Areas (CHAs.)
• There will be equitable distribution of citizen hunting quota.
• Citizen hunting license shall not be transferable.
• An effective hunting quota allocation system shall be developed based on science.
• Animals to be included in the hunting quota shall be those currently reflected in Schedule 7 of the Wildlife and National Parks Act of 1992.
• Special game license will not be re-instated due to existence of other government social safety nets to cover for such. [src.]

The Government of Botswana has lifted its ban on hunting. According to a statement on Facebook by the country's Ministry of Environment, Natural Resources Conservation and Tourism, the decision to lift the hunting suspension follows extensive consultations with all stakeholders, including local authorities, affected communities, NGO's, tourism businesses, conservationists, researchers and other stakeholders. 

The Government of Botswana established a Cabinet Sub Committee on Hunting Ban Social Dialogue in June 2018, through which the suspension of hunting in Botswana was reviewed. Some of the findings of the Cabinet Sub Committee on Hunting Ban and Social Dialogue were as follows:

1. The number and high levels of human-elephant conflict and the consequent impact on livelihoods was increasing;
2. Predators appear to have increased and were causing a lot of damage as they kill livestock in large numbers;
3. There is a negative impact of the hunting suspension on livelihoods, particularly for community based organisations that were previously benefiting from consumptive utilisation;
4. The lack of capacity within the Department of Wildlife and National Parks leads to long response time to problem animal control reports; and
5. The general consensus from those consulted was that the hunting ban should be lifted.
   

On the basis of these issues, the Government of Botswana has reflected and assessed the recommendations, and lifted the suspension. Hunting of wildlife in in all controlled hunting areas in Botswana was banned with effect from January 2014. We'll keep you posted!

Qatar Airways bans transport of all hunting trophies!

The state-owned flag carrier of Qatar, Qatar Airways, yesterday (06 Aug 2015) announced the  extension of its existing embargo on transporting hunting trophies to encompass all species (CITES I,II & III) identified by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

• CITES I > species threatened with extinction.
• CITES II > species for which trade must be controlled in order to avoid behaviour incompatible with their survival. 
• CITES III > species that are protected in at least one country, which has asked other CITES parties for assistance in controlling the trade.

online flight booking on TravelComments.com >>

Three U.S. airlines ban transport of hunting trophies!

Three airlines from the USA, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and American Arlines, have announced they will no longer transport buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion or rhino trophies with immediate effect. Delta Air Lines is currently the biggest U.S. carrier to Africa, while United Airlines serves only one destination in Africa. (Lagos, Nigeria). American Arlines currently offers no flights to Africa.

.@Delta bans shipment of lion, leopard, elephant, rhino, buffalo trophies @DeltaNewsHub http://t.co/ZrAPBTqIQh

— Delta News Hub (@DeltaNewsHub) August 3, 2015

Effective immediately, we will no longer transport buffalo, elephant, leopard, lion or rhino trophies.

— American Airlines (@AmericanAir) August 4, 2015

online flight booking on TravelComments.com >>

South African Airways lifts ban on transportation of hunting trophies

The cargo division of South African Airways (SAA), South African Airways Cargo (SAA Cargo), has, according to the Cargo Policy and Procedures Advisory No 278 (20 July 2015), lifted the ban on the transportation of hunting trophies. SAA Cargo's trophy transport ban covered species such as elephant, rhino, lion and tiger.

.@Wildlifeatheart @EleRhinoMarch SAA Cargo reverses embargo on #wildlife trophies @elisetempelhoff @WildlifeAtRisk pic.twitter.com/aXrfQivm5F

— SAVE OUR RHINO (@SaveOurRhinoK9) 21. Juli 2015

South African Airways (SAA) announced the decision to ban the transportation of hunting trophies on 21 April 2015, following an incident in which hunting trophies were allegedly shipped to Perth (Australia) under a false label of "mechanical equipment". [more]

European Union bans import of elephant hunting trophies from Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia!

The European Union Scientific Review Group (SRG) decided on 02 July 2015 to issue a ban on the import of any elephant hunting trophies into the European Union (EU) from Tanzania, Mozambique and Zambia. According to the press release (see below) by the European Commission, the SRG found that the information at its disposal was not sufficient to conclude that the import into the EU of such trophies from the three countries would be sustainable.
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Lufthansa bans transport of hunting trophies!

According to Lufthansa Flyer, Germany's flag carrier, Lufthansa, has banned the transport of hunting trophies. The blogger quotes a direct source from Lufthansa Cargo saying "Lufthansa Cargo has decided not to transport any trophies of the African fauna, e.g. lions, elephants and rhinos, in or out of Africa – including legally hunted or legally acquired trophies." We'll keep you posted!

Has .@Lufthansa Banned African Hunting Trophy Transport?  I Think So! http://t.co/kxwWPyelTS http://t.co/wNWbysqaAn

— Lufthansa Flyer (@LufthansaFlyer) 30. Mai 2015

Rhino shooting in Namibia: Texas hunter Corey Knowlton is not welcome in Botswana!

Just days after Corey Knowlton, the Texas hunter who bid $350,000 for a permit issued by Namibia's Ministry of Environment and Tourism and auctioned by the Dallas Safari Club to kill a black rhinoceros in Namibia, shot the animal to death, the Government of Botswana published the following press release via facebook:

PRESS RELEASE: SHOOTING OF RHINO IN NAMIBIA(22/5/15) - The Government of the Republic of Botswana notes with alarm the...
Posted by BWgovernment on Friday, 22 May 2015

Zambia to lift ban on hunting leopards and lions!

Zambia is set to lift a 2013 ban on the hunting of wild lions and leopards in order to raise funds after it established that the population of the big cats in the country was higher than previously thought. According to Zambia's Minister of Tourism and Arts, Jean Kapata, leopard hunting resumes in the 2015/16 season (which begins in July 2015), while the lion huning will only resume in the 2016-17 hunting season.

Zambia in 2013 banned the hunting of lions and leopards, saying that the country is seeing more value in game viewing tourism than in trophy hunting and that big cat numbers in the country are too low to have a sustainable hunting industry.
According to a recent aerial survey done by the Ministry of Tourism and Arts, Zambia is currently home to an established number of 4,000 lions and to more than 8,000 leopards.

 Zambia bans hunting of lions and leopards >>

Emirates bans transport of hunting trophies!

One of the world's biggest international airlines, Emirates, has banned the transportation of hunting trophies on all its services effective 15 May 2015. The ban affects the transportation of trophies of elephant, rhinoceros, lion and tiger. According to Emirates SkyCargo, "this decision is to support international governments, inter-governmental and non-governmental organizations that are managing wildlife population towards sustaining the task to eliminate illegal trade and transportation of hunting trophies worldwide and saving wildlife heritage". Emirates SkyCargo handles the cargo needs of all Emirates services, including its passenger services.

South African Airways (SAA) no longer transports hunting trophies! >>
online flight booking on TravelComments.com >> 

South African Airways (SAA) no longer transports hunting trophies!

South African Airways Cargo (SAA Cargo), a division of South African Airways (SAA) that focuses on airfreight movement worldwide, has issued a new cargo policy and procedures advisory (No 272) to its internal stakeholders on 21 April 2015. According to the advisory, the airfreight company will no longer transport hunting trophies around the world. SAA Cargo's trophy transport ban covers species such as elephant, rhino, lion and tiger.

Zambia bans hunting of lions and leopards | UPDATE: Zambia bans hunting of all wilflife

update (22 Aug 2014): Zambia has lifted a ban on hunting for species other than wild cats.The suspension of cat hunting remains in force until a survey to ascertain their numbers is complete.

update (11 Jan 2013): According to a report in the Zambia Daily Mail, Zambia's Tourism and Arts Minister Sylvia Masebo extended the ban on hunting from lions and other big cats to all wildlife in Zambian game reserves and parks. The newspaper is quoting the minister saying: "This move is aimed at ensuring that we restock our fast-depleting game life and conduct a census of what we have and what we do not have".

Zambia's government has banned the hunting of lions and leopards. According to country's tourism minister, Sylvia Masebo, Zambia is seeing more value in game viewing tourism than in trophy hunting, which (only) brought in about $3m in 2012. The minister also pointed out that the population of big cats in Zambia is currently way to low to have a sustainable hunting industry. The country is home to approx. 4,500 lions and an unknown number of leopards.

Zambia's neighbor Botswana recently decided to ban all trophy hunting from 2014, while Kenya  halted hunting for sport already decades ago.

Botswana to ban hunting of wildlife from 2014

update (15 Aug 2013): Botswana's Minister of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism, Tshekedi Khama, confirmed that from 01 January 2014 no quotas, licences or permits will be issued for hunting of Part 1 and Part 2 schedule animals as listed in the country's Wildlife Conservation and National Parks Act. Licences will continue to be issued for birds listed in Part 3 of the same law subject to conditions to be determined by the Department of Wildlife and National Parks. Hunting in registered game ranches will not be affected by the ban.

Good news for Botswana's wildlife! The government of the southern African country has decided to "indefinitely suspend commercial hunting of wildlife in public or controlled hunting areas" from 01 January 2014 because of a decline in animal populations. According to a statement issued by the country's environment ministry, hunting is no longer considered as "compatible with either our national commitment to conserve and preserve local fauna or the long term growth of the local tourism industry".

Hunting concessions currently exist for the Okavango Delta and the Central Kalahari Game Reserve. The ban of hunting in Botswana will not affect issuing of special game licences for traditional hunting by some local communities within designated wildlife management areas.

South Africa: New rhino laws gazetted

South Africa's Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, Ms Edna Molewa, published new norms and standards for marking rhino horn and trophy hunting for immediate implementation.
According to the new norms and standards, all live rhinos sold and transported after the commencement of these norms and standards that have not been micro-chipped before, or where the micro-chip is no longer detectable must be micro-chipped on the left shoulder of the rhino and on each of its horns. All rhino horns, whether acquired by a legal dehorning procedure, natural mortality or where the rhino has lost its horn in a natural manner must be micro-chipped within five days of acquiring the horn. In addition to micro-chips, if the horn or part of it was more than 5cm in length, the issuing authority would mark it with indelible ink.

Regarding the hunting of rhinos, applicants now have, in addition to the application for an actual hunting permit,  to submit proof of membership of a hunting association recognised by the applicant's country of residence, a curriculum vitae indicating the applicant's hunting experience, proof of previous experience in hunting an African species, and a copy of the applicant's passport.
The new norms and standards are also stating that a hunting client can hunt only one white rhino for trophy purposes within a 12-month period, that rhino hunts have to take place in the presence of an environmental management inspector, or an official of the issuing authority authorised to conduct compliance inspections, and that the horns, together with the rest of the trophy, have to be transported by a duly authorised person directly to the taxidermy or similar facility to be processed and prepared for export.
Click here to download the Gazette No. 35248 of 10 April 2012 (pdf).

Botswana to ban all wildlife hunting

update (02 Aug 2011): Botswana's Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife, and Tourism just published an official response to the www.mmegi.bw article in which it was quoted Botswana was to ban hunting.

MMEGI ARTICLE RESPONSE: “WILDLIFE HUNTING TO CEASE IN BOTSWANA”.

We refer to the above article carried on Mmegi issue of Friday 15th July, 2011.
It was said that; the Botswana government is in advanced legal process to ban the hunting of wildlife in favour of photographic safari.
The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism would like to clarify that there is no decision made to ban wildlife hunting. Instead, what is being done is to encourage photographic tourism and gradually limit but not ban wildlife hunting. It must be known that species with declining numbers will be considered for limited hunting while those with increasing numbers like elephants, will continue to be hunted within CITES framework.
On the 13th and 14th July 2011, the Ministry and other stakeholders organized two days training workshop for local Media Practitioners on Poverty and Environmental Reporting. It was at this workshop that the Ministry spokesperson highlighted the benefits of photographic tourism to Community Trusts in the country as compared to just issuing hunting quotes during a discussion on Community Based Resource National Management (CBNRM). But there was no reference to hunting ban. Unfortunately, he was quoted out of context.
In conclusion, the Ministry states that the Botswana Government has no plan to ban hunting in this country and we would like to assure all hunting safari companies and affected communities that live near wildlife management areas who continues to benefit from hunting. The Mmegi story does not reflect current government thinking on the subject of wildlife hunting.  

Yours Faithfully

Mable Bolele
Coordinator, Communications, Research and Development 

According to report on www.mmegi.bw the Botswana government is considering to ban all wildlife hunting in the country and to promote photographic safaris instead. The online edition of the newspaper is quoting Archibald Ngakayagae, a Ministry of Wildlife, Environment and Tourism spokesperson, saying that "they [the Botswana Government] will be using recent research findings by wildlife conservationist, Dr Mike Chase, that shows that some wildlife species have dwindled by as high as 90 percent due to hunting, poaching and veldt fires over the last decade. The policy to promote photographic safari against hunting is now advanced and in future they will not be issuing any hunting quotas."

The report by Dr Mike Chase shows that ostrich have declined over the last years by about 80%, wildebeest by 90%, 83% of tsessebe, about 80% of warthogs and roan antelope, and 65% of giraffe. Lion hunting in Botswana was already suspended in 2007.