US dentist condemned for killing Zimbabwe lion
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E-mail Xinhua, July 30, 2015
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American dentist Walter James Palmer (R). [Photo/Trophy Hunt America] |
The Zimbabwean authorities admitted that Palmer and his local guides had secured trophy hunting permits but they did not have the quota for lions on their permits this year.
Johnny Rodrigues, chairman of the Zimbabwe Conservation Taskforce, a non profit organization focusing on the conservation and preservation of wildlife in Zimbabwe said the government should immediately ban trophy hunting of all endangered species.
"There should be a moratorium and ban on the hunting of all endangered animals.
"Government has to put a stop to it because at the end of the day we will have no lion population in Zimbabwe," he said.
President of the Safari Operators Association of Zimbabwe (SOAZ) Emannuel Fundira said the killing of the popular lion would negatively impact on safari hunting revenues and affect the livelihoods of about 800,000 families in Zimbabwe that directly depend on wildlife exploitation.
"We did not expect our photographic safari industry was going to be affected in this manner," Fundira said.
The killing of Cecil the lion comes at a time when Zimbabwe's safari hunting industry is reeling from a U.S. ban on sport hunted elephant trophies imposed in April 2014.
The United States Fish and Wildlife Services imposed the ban on sport hunted elephant trophies from Zimbabwe and Tanzania citing poor management system after more than 100 elephants died from cyanide poisoning in Hwange National Park in 2014.
According to SOAZ, the U.S. is a lucrative market for Zimbabwe's 100 million dollars safari hunting industry.
According to SOAZ, Zimbabwe received 65 million dollars revenue from safari hunting in 2013 and earnings were estimated to have declined by 30 percent in 2014 due to the ban.
Tom Milliken, an official with wildlife trade monitoring network, Traffic, said the poaching of Cecil the lion puts under the spotlight the adherence to ethics in Zimbabwe's sport hunting industry.
"I just wish the industry were playing a more aggressive role in trying to protect their industry and ensuing highest ethical standards," Milliken said.
"If it turns out that the lion was illegally hunted, it will likely precipitate a reaction against the sport hunting industry.
"The U.S. has already closed elephant trophy hunting from Zimbabwe and I think that it's quite possible to see a similar reaction so the best way to safeguard sport hunting is to ensure greatest integrity and ensure you play by the rules," Milliken said.
According to a recent report done by the Zimbabwe National Parks in partnership with various conservation organizations, Zimbabwe's lion population is estimated to be around 1,000.
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