Its Not Just Elephants. Trump Rolled Back Regulations On Lion Trophies, Too.

[babylonsister]

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-lion-hunting-trophies_us_5a0e53ace4b0e97dffec781d

GREEN 11/17/2017 12:18 am ET
It’s Not Just Elephants. Trump Rolled Back Regulations On Lion Trophies, Too.
“The folly that the killing helps lions and elephants is just that ― pure folly.”
By Nick Visser


The Trump administration recently rolled back protections for African lions, releasing new guidelines that allow hunters to bring trophies from animals killed in parts of Africa into the U.S., according to updated rules released by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

Wildlife officials began issuing permits for lion trophies from Zimbabwe and Zambia sometime last month, ABC News reported on Thursday, pointing to a new page on the FWS website that details the regulations and calls hunting a “conservation tool.” Trophies from wild and wild-managed lions from South Africa are also acceptable under the import rules, and hunts from Mozambique, Namibia and Tanzania are under review.

The news comes the same week the White House came under fire over its plans to lift a ban on the import of elephant trophies from Zimbabwe and Zambia, a decision that was announced not by a federal agency but via a news release from a trophy hunting advocacy group, Safari Club International.

Allowing hunters to import elephant and lion trophies is a direct rollback of two Obama-era regulations meant to protect the species. In 2014, the White House banned elephant trophy imports from Zimbabwe, citing a lack of data on conservation efforts. And in 2016 lions were officially listed under the U.S. Endangered Species Act, and tighter restrictions were placed on the imports of hunting trophies.

Wayne Pacelle, president of The Humane Society of the United States, published a blog post slamming the move and saying the change cast the federal government as “a promoter of trophy hunting” in an interview with The Guardian.

snip//

“African elephants and African lions drive billions of dollars of economic activity in Africa. But they drive that activity only when they are alive. Killing them deducts from their populations, diminishes wildlife-watching experiences for others, and robs the countries of Africa of its greatest resources,” he said.

“The folly that the killing helps lions and elephants is just that ― pure folly. We’ll see the agency in court.”

[DarthDem]

1. Of Course He Did.

Thanks.

[Not Ruth]

2. There is a fantasy that lions are roaming the unspoiled wilds of Africa

While that might be true in theory, in practice they are more like farmed bison. It is an unfortunate trend, due to the commercialization of both eco tourism and hunting, where a person that has no business being in Africa, shows up for a week and expects the Lion King to be performed for them on cue.

http://www.bloodlions.org/the-campaign/

On Breeding & Canned Hunting
There are about 200 farms and breeding facilities holding somewhere between 6 000 and 8 000 predators in captivity. The vast majority, possibly as many as 7 000 of these, are lions.
Over 800 captive-bred lions are killed annually in South Africa by trophy hunters, and increasingly, canned or captive hunting is seen as unethical and unsportsmanlike.
For many people, there is no difference between canned hunting and the term captive hunting that has been introduced by the authorities and professional hunting bodies in an attempt to get away from the negative image associated with canned hunting.
There is a growing group of professional hunters and organizations completely opposed to the practices of canned or captive hunting. It is highly likely that these practices may well cause splits between the various hunting bodies.
Unless under the auspices of an authentic team of scientists and conservationists, breeding lions and other predators in cages or enclosed areas has no conservation value whatsoever.
There is a lack of data to support the claim that hunting captive bred lions takes pressure off wild lions. We do know that wild lion numbers across Africa continue to decline, and that wherever it remains possible to hunt these, demand for permits remains high.
Canned or captive hunting has merely opened up an entirely new market for people that would not have been able to afford a wild hunt.
Conservationists and animal welfare experts remain deeply concerned about the breeding practices used and the general conditions that exist on may of South Africa’s lion farms and breeding facilities.
Given the growth trends in predator breeding since 1999, it is forecast there could be as many as 12 000 to 15 000 lions and other predators on farms by 2020.

[Sunlei]

6. Thank you Ruth, that's what happens. Those are canned/fake 'hunts'. Who will kill the first Panda?

IMO, China builds large reserves of elephants, cats and exotic game. Sea World type places are all the rage there-Orcas, dolphins are taken from the seas and sold to countries that have no humane laws what so ever.

So when are the Panda hunts starting? who will be the first wealthy "hunter" to have a stuffed Panda in his den to show off to his buddies? or a Panda rug to sell off for ? 250k? 500k? how much for that "trophy"??

[MoonRiver]

3. FUCK THAT PIECE OF SHIT! Remove that SCUM from office NOW!

[Sunlei]

4. all those "canned hunt" thousands of acre 'conservation group' places have to do something with

the 100s of old male-circus lions their 'charity' 'rescued' to 'rehome' in Africa.

only 50k "donation" to "conservation group" to "euthanize" the old, scared large-heavy-mane lion, a great tax deduction and a huge stuffed animal to take home and resell in America.

[Madam45for2923]

5. Donald & Hillary, twinsies!

[MFM008]

7. Grrrrrrr

[MineralMan]

8. Junior Must Have a Safari Scheduled.

[hamsterjill]

9. SCUM!

SCUM applies to anyone who hunts for trophy and SCUM applies to the SOB that allows heads to be brought back to the USA for show.

What in the hell is this country coming to, and why in the hell can't someone do something to stop it?

[dalton99a]

10. All you need is cows for McDonald's and chicken for KFC

[think4yourself]

11. Can we lobby their government

to ban Americans from hunting there? Seriously.

[crazycatlady]

12. This is a gift to his sons