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!

Namibia plans to prosecute people posting trophy hunting photos on social media!

update (11 July 2018): According to the Namibia Professional Hunting Association (NAPHA) "the implementation of the condition on the restriction of the posting of images of trophy animals on social media made by the Minister is for now on hold, until such time that the industry has reverted back with proposed guidelines for ethical marketing practices for the hunting community." [src.]

update (03 July 2018): According to recent media reports Namibia is still planning to punish individuals who post photos with dead wild animals on social media. The country's Ministry of Environment & Tourism is working on having the Nature Conservation Ordinance 4 of 1975 amended, so that posting photos of dead wild animals on social media platforms becomes illegal.

According to the Xinhua News Agency, the official press agency of the People's Republic of China, Namibia will start to prosecute people posting trophy hunting photos on social media once the new Protection Areas and Wildlife Management Bill passes into law. The news agency quotes Namibia's Environment and Tourism Minister Pohamba Shifeta saying at a press conference on 09 August 2017 "that people who kill wildlife, whether with a permit or not, and post photos on social media and boast will face the wrath of the law [...]". We'll keep you posted!

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 >>

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.