Tag Archives: Africa

Bonobo’s hurtling towards extinction

Posted on by
1

Wednesday, November 27, 2013, 16:20

Washington: A study, which is the most detailed range-wide assessment of theelephant-range-map
bonobo- formerly known as the pygmy chimpanzee- ever conducted, has revealed
that this endangered great ape is quickly losing space in a world because of
forest fragmentation and poaching.

The research was conducted by University of Georgia, University of Maryland,
the Wildlife Conservation Society, ICCN (Congolese Wildlife Authority),
African Wildlife Foundation, Zoological Society of Milwaukee, World Wildlife
Fund, Max Planck Institute, Lukuru Foundation, University of Stirling, Kyoto
University, and other groups.

Using data from nest counts and remote sensing imagery, the research team
found that the bonobo avoids areas of high human activity and forest
fragmentation.

According to the model developed by the researchers in the study, as little
as 28 percent of the bonobo’s range remains suitable.

“This assessment is a major step towards addressing the substantial
information gap regarding the conservation status of bonobos across their
entire range. The results of the study demonstrate that human activities
reduce the amount of effective bonobo habitat and will help us identify
where to propose future protected areas for this great ape,”
lead author Dr. Jena R. Hickey of Cornell University and the University of
Georgia, said.

The bonobo is smaller in size and more slender in build than the common
chimpanzee. The great ape’s social structure is complex and matriarchal.
Unlike the common chimpanzee, bonobos establish social bonds and diffuse
tension or aggression with sexual behaviors.

Second author of the study, Dr. Janet Nackoney, said Bonobos that live in
closer proximity to human activity and to points of human access are more
vulnerable to poaching, one of their main threats. The results point to the
need for more places where bonobos can be safe from hunters, which is an
enormous challenge in the DRC.

The study is published in journal Biodiversity and Conservation.

http://zeenews.india.com/news/eco-news/bonobo-s-hurtling-towards-extinction_
892729.html

Melissa Bachman Poses With Dead Lion in SA

Posted on by
21

US hunter criticised over picture with dead lion in South Africa

Petition calls for TV presenter Melissa Bachman to be barred from returning to South Africa after participating in legal hunt

theguardian.com,              Friday 15 November 2013

South African lions

South African lions. Photograph: Kim Sullivan/SplashdownDirect/Rex Features

An American TV presenter has been condemned for tweeting a picture of herself standing over a dead lion and boasting that she hunted it on safari in South Africa.

More than 3,500 people signed an online petition calling for the self-declared “hardcore hunter” Melissa Bachman to be banned from returning to South Africa.

The Minnesota-based celebrity posted a photo of herself smiling next to the body of an adult lion after a hunt at the Maroi conservancy in the northern Limpopo province. The caption read: “An incredible day hunting in South Africa! Stalked inside 60 yards on this beautiful male lion … what a hunt!”

The style is a familiar one for Bachman, who has previously been photographed with what appears to be the carcass of a bear. She is no stranger controversy, having been removed as a contestant on the National Geographic show Ultimate Survival Alaska last year after more than 13,000 people signed a petition criticising the inclusion of the “heartless trophy hunter”.

Her lion tweet has provoked another angry backlash. One Twitter user, Gaye Davis, asked: “If it was beautiful why kill it?” Tim Flack, a South African, commented: “People like @MelissaBachman hunting lion in SA is everything that’s wrong with our hunting industry.”

A petition on Change.org urges the South African government to bar Bachman from the country. It says: “Melissa Bachman has made a career out of hunting wildlife for pure sport. She is an absolute contradiction to the culture of conservation, this country prides itself on. Her latest Facebook post features her with a lion she has just executed and murdered in our country.”

Supporters of hunting in South Africa argue that it raises funds from wealthy tourists which are then ploughed back into conservation efforts.

Lourens Mostert, game farm manager at the Maroi conservancy, confirmed that a lion was killed and said the hunt was legal. “If it isn’t right to hunt these lions, why does out government legally give us permission?” he told the Times newspaper. “This is not the only lion that has been hunted in South Africa this year.”

The barrage of criticism prompted Bachman to make her Twitter account private. Her personal bio reads: “I’ve been an avid hunter my entire life & now I’ve turned my passion into a career as a TV producer, host and writer. I’m a hardcore hunter doing what I love!”

Safari Club A-Holes Auction Permit to Kill a Rhino

Posted on by
7

[And finally, this article, the last of today’s series on anti-animal A-holes (brought to you by good folks at “Ammoland”), needs no introduction…]

black-rhino

Rhino Permit to be Auctioned at Dallas Safari Club Convention
Published on Friday, October 11, 2013

DALLAS, TX – -(Ammoland.com)- —Through an historic collaboration between  governments, one hunter will have a chance to hunt a black rhino, help manage  and conserve the species, and import a rare trophy to the US in 2014.

The Dallas Safari Club (DSC) has been selected by the Government of the  Republic of Namibia to auction a special hunting permit with all proceeds  earmarked for rhino conservation in that country.

The US Fish and Wildlife Service has promised full cooperation with a  qualified buyer.

DSC will sell the permit during its annual convention and expo Jan. 9-12 in  Dallas.

An unprecedented sale price is expected.

“This fundraiser is the first of its kind for an endangered species,” said  DSC Executive Director Ben Carter, “and it’s going to generate a sum of money  large enough to be enormously meaningful in Namibia’s fight to ensure the future  of its black rhino populations.”

The Government of the Republic of Namibia approved the permit in accordance  with CITES provisions to generate crucial funding for rhino conservation  initiatives including anti-poaching efforts—while at the same time managing the  black rhino population within Mangetti National Park, where the hunt will take  place.

Science has shown that removing certain individual animals can help rhino  populations grow.

Black rhinos commonly fight to the death. In fact, the species has the  highest combat mortality rates of any mammal. Approximately 50 percent of males  and 30 percent of females die from combat-related injuries. Extremely aggressive  bulls are known to be population-limiting factors in some areas. Selectively  harvesting these animals can lead to population increases and greater  survival. [This is total b.s., by the way. Don’t these people have any faith in nature whatsoever?]

Rampant and indiscriminate poaching is threatening rhino populations across  Africa. Rhino horn has high black-market value, especially in Southeast Asia,  for ornamental uses and folk remedies, although medical research has disproved  actual benefits.

The Conservation Trust Fund for Namibia’s Black Rhino will receive 100  percent of the hunting permit sale price. Both DSC and contracted auctioneer Ed  Phillips of Houston offered to forego their customary sales commissions to  support the special cause.

Louisiana conservation attorney John J. Jackson, III, helped facilitate the  auction item and proceeds will be channeled through his Conservation Force, a  501(c)(3) nonprofit public charity, for income tax deduction purposes.

The winning bidder may hire his or her qualified outfitter or guide to lead  the hunt, which will be accompanied by Namibian wildlife officials.

About Dallas Safari Club (DSC) Desert bighorns on an  unbroken landscape, stalking Cape buffalo in heavy brush, students discovering  conservation. DSC works to guarantee a future for all these and much more. An  independent organization since 1982, DSC has become an international leader in  conserving wildlife and wilderness lands, educating youth and the general  public, and promoting and protecting the rights and interests of hunters  worldwide. Get involved at www.biggame.org.

Read more: http://www.ammoland.com/2013/10/rhino-permit-to-be-auctioned-at-dallas-safari-club-convention/#ixzz2iO32pdcv

NBC Sports Network Cancels NRA-Sponsored Elephant Hunting Show After Host Compares Critics To Hitler

Posted on by
22

[Interesting that the network cancelled the show because the host dared to mention Hitler, not because he shot an elephant twice in the face and then celebrated its death over champagne… Why he thinks we only care about elephants and not the hunting of ducks, deer, rabbits, etc. is beyond me. Not all anti-hunters are “animal racists,” as he put it, or species favoritists, as I call it. Many of us don’t want to see the hunting of any non-human animals.]

 September 29, 2013  1:41 PM EDT ››› SOPHIA TESFAYE

Photo by Lord Mountbatten

NBC Sports Network has announced that it has canceled the hunting show Under Wild Skies after host Tony Makris compared critics to Hitler.

Controversy began after the show aired an episode in which an elephant was shot in the face twice by host Makris. Makris, who has longstanding ties to the NRA, celebrated the killing of the elephant with a bottle of champagne.

Following days of outrage and a petition calling for NBC to cancel the show, Makris took to NRA News on September 26 to respond to critics by claiming they advocated for a form of “animal racism.” Makris said the following about critics who argued that elephants not be targeted:

MAKRIS: The nice ones will come up and go, you shoot elephant? Why? And I said well, the short answer is because hungry people eat them and because I’m a hunter. You know, I’m not an elephant hunter. I’m a hunter. I hunt all things. And they go, well nobody should shoot an elephant. I said, why? And they go they’re so big and kind and gentle and smart and I said, okay, let me ask you a question. Should I be able to shoot birds? Well, I guess that’s okay. Ducks? Yeah. Pigeons? Oh, they’re flying rats, okay. Rabbits? Well rabbits are cute. But yea. Squirrels? That’s nothing but a rat with a tail — with a fuzzy tail. And I said, well deer eat all my mother’s roses in Long Island and I go– so I can shoot all of those, but not an elephant? No. Do you realize that if you subscribe to that philosophy you are committing a very unique form of animal racism?

CAM EDWARDS, HOST: [laughter]

MAKRIS: And now they’re shocked. And they said but they’re so big and special and they’re smarter. And I went, you know, Hitler would have said the same thing.

On September 28, NBC Sports Network announced in a statement to Deadspin that Under Wild Skies has been canceled due to Makris’ comments:

Under Wild Skies will no longer air on NBC Sports Sports Network due to the program’s close association with its host, whose recent comments comparing his critics to Hitler are outrageous and unacceptable. NBCSN will continue to air all of our other quality outdoor programming.

BEING VEGAN – If I Were a Lion

Posted on by
9

September 21, 2013 | Filed under: Being Vegan | Posted by: Paul Graham
Las Vegas Informer

If I were a lion, people would often refer to me as “The King of the Beasts.”  We have been a part of stories, legend and lore from the very beginning.  We are majestic.  We have complex systems between us and are very social when we are resting, enjoying lots of head rubbing, touching, licking and purring.  We live in groups that we call “prides” of around 15 lions. Over the past 50 years or so life has become very difficult for us.  Most believe that our numbers are half of what they used to be, but our numbers are even lower than that.  There are only between 15,000 and 20,000 of us lions left in Africa, which is our primary habitat.  It is estimated that if things remain as they are, we all will be gone in as little as 20 years.

If I were a lion, I would be facing many challenges like habitat loss, conflict with humans, a smaller prey base, climate change and hunting.  We are allowed less and less to roam free.  The weather is simply not what it used to be and droughts are forcing us into smaller and smaller areas.  Men continue to hunt us, whether there are laws against it or not.  Trophy hunters from America killed over 500 of us last year alone.  Others hunt and kill us and sell our bones openly to Chinese markets for medicinal purposes. They can’t even prove that it helps people but people will buy it anyway. Pieces of us can be found cooked and served in restaurants throughout China and other places.  Because so many of us being killed are males, it is throwing off our entire system and is causing others in our prides to die as well.  It is the small-mindedness and great greed of men that are killing us off by the day.  When we are gone, who will they begin to hunt and come after?  Maybe they will begin to hunt each other.

If I were a lion, I could be captured and find myself in a zoo or circus.  They say that were are in the zoos for educational purposes, but what are people really learning?  To see how unhappy we are to be confined in such small areas and actually face the taunts of the people who are supposed to be there to learn about us and appreciate  us?  To pace back and forth, wanting every day to be back in the wild with our pride and the way things are supposed to be.  We are not meant to be caged.  Often times we are not treated well and when we grow old we can sometimes be sold to private parties for more captivity, experimentation or even to be eaten as part of some exotic dinner.  In the circus we are kept in even smaller cages where there is no room to even roam, just to lay and think about this miserable existence.  We are paraded out in front of people to put on a show.  What most don’t see or know about is how they beat and prod us to get us to do what they want.  Why do people bring their young to see a magnificent lion reduced down to this as some sort of cheap spectacle?  Then we are forced back to that small cage with not enough food or water and no protection from the elements. Why is this even allowed?

If I were a lion, I can see that the end is near.  While we have lived and thrived for centuries upon centuries, we are now going away primarily at the hands of men.  We have survived many things over the course of time, but we cannot seem to stem the tide on our own as every day we are being picked off one by one.  What will the day be like when no one will be able to say that a Lion King exists anymore?  People will tell their children about these remarkable creatures who used to roam this Earth.  “Why did they die Mommy…did they have to die?” No, we do not have to die.  We are not dying just on our own, we in fact are being killed…murdered for the pleasure and profit of men.  If I were a lion, I would need your help.  Help keep these hunters and poachers away and to protect our lands and habitats. Make the laws and back them up. Please allow us to do what we have always done.  Let us go from the cages of zoos, circuses and amusements we are kept in.  Back to the wild or at least a sanctuary.  It is not too late to change this, but if the kind and compassionate do not act…it will be.  And then we will be gone from this Earth only to be found in your story books forever more.

01bfb39948b2f313b238ba43f926ea25

Stop Lion Trophy Hunting

Posted on by
1

01bfb39948b2f313b238ba43f926ea25

The lion population in Africa is being reduced at an alarming rate – 50 years ago there were 450,000 lions. Today as little as 20,000 remain. Lion Trophy Hunting, especially Canned Lion Hunting (where lions are shot in cages) are largely responsible for the dwindling lion population.

For the right price you can shoot a beautiful male lion, a lioness with cubs or even a lion cub – and this is done while they are in a cage and defenseless.

Canned Lion Hunting is not illegal in South Africa. The SA government also refuses to stop the issue of Lion Hunting permits or to at least limit the number of permits issued.

Sign the petition: https://secure.avaaz.org/en/petition/Stop_Lion_Trophy_Hunting/?dOrYHdb

Hunter Killed by Buffalo he was Trying to Shoot

Posted on by
13

buf_2245221b

A British man working as a professional hunter on a private game reserve in Zimbabwe has been killed by a wounded buffalo he was trying to shoot.

By Peta Thornycroft, Aislinn Laing in Johannesburg
2:45PM BST 11 Jun 2012                                                           [My comments interjected in brackets throughout]
Owain Lewis, 67, had been tracking the animal for three days to finish it off after it was shot and injured by a visiting American hunter he was escorting.

[okay, first off, how many years must he have been killing animals if he was 67 when one finally finished off his career?]

Paul Smith, the owner of Chifuti Safaris in the lower Zambezi Valley, said Mr Lewis was “very tough and experienced” but had been caught unawares when the buffalo charged from the undergrowth and tossed him in the air.

[What, no video?]

“It turned on him and attacked him and unfortunately the apprentice hunter with him could not shoot the animal as Owen’s body was in the way,” he said.

[Fortunately, that is.)

“It was a very tough fight. Owain’s neck was broken but the apprentice did manage to kill the buffalo.

[Oh, that last bit is a real shame.]

“We are very shocked. This is the first time we have had an incident like this.

[and hopefully not the last.]

Man dies after hunting accident in Africa

Posted on by
95

http://news.iafrica.com/sa/871613.html
Mon, 22 Jul 2013 1:11 PM

A man who was accidentally shot in the head during a hunting trip in Limpopo has died in hospital.

Juan-Pierre Kleingeld (24) died on Monday morning after being in a coma for more than a week, Die Beeld reported.

Kleingeld was shot in the head while hunting with some friend on the farm, Alldays, in Limpopo. Kleingeld had been driving a bakkie during the hunt when he was shot.

According to Die Beeld, one of his friends – who was standing at the back of the bakkie – accidentally discharged his hunting rifle. Kleingeld was struck in the head.

90823_Pred_ATACS

Hunting is Not a Crime, It’s a Sin

Posted on by
2

After posting yesterday’s blog post, “White Hunter “Perverse Little Creatures from another Planet without any Dignity,” I remembered that there was another good line in the Clint Eastwood film, White Hunter Black Heart:

When Eastwood’s character, John Wilson (the director of a movie being filmed in Africa), announces, “I’m staying till l get my elephant,” Pete Verrill (the movie’s screenwriter) tells him, “You’re either crazy or the most egocentric, irresponsible son of a bitch that I’ve ever met. You’re about to blow this whole picture out of your nose, John. And for what? To commit a crime. To kill one of the rarest, most noble creatures that roams the face of this crummy earth. In order for you to commit this crime, you’re willing to forget about all of us and let this whole goddamn thing go down the drain.”

To which John Wilson answers, “You’re wrong, kid. It’s not a crime to kill an elephant. It’s bigger than all that. It’s a sin to kill an elephant. Do you understand? It’s the only sin that you can buy a license and go out and commit.

“That’s why I want to do it before I do anything else in this world. Do you understand me? Of course you don’t. How could you? I don’t understand myself.”

And neither do we, John.

photo IFAW.org

photo IFAW.org

White Hunter “Perverse Little Creatures from another Planet without any Dignity”

Posted on by
3

Hoping to hear a good anti-hunting line or two, I watched the Clint Eastwood film, White Hunter Black Heart last night. Though overly focused on Eastwood’s character, John Wilson (a thinly-veiled representation bordering on caricature of the director John Huston), who flies to Africa to shoot a film…but is really more interested in shooting an elephant—literally and lethally. After spotting a large “tusker” bull, Wilson becomes obsessed with getting “My elephant” (as he referred to the noble animal).

As it turns out, it was John Wilson’s sidekick, Pete Verrill (played by Jeff Fahey), the screenwriter on Wilson’s film project (and the stand-in for the director’s non-existent conscience) who voiced the story’s classic anti-hunting line. Looking at the impressive bull elephant (the object of Wilson’s obsession) through binoculars, Pete Verrill remarks, “Oh. I’ve never seen one before, outside the circus or the zoo. They’re so majestic; so indestructible. They’re part of the earth. They make us feel like perverse little creatures from another planet. Without any dignity.”

Though Clint Eastwood has a hard time losing himself in his characters, he was clearly not portraying himself through this director with a big-game trophy-hunter wanna-be fixation. Eastwood himself is a bit too evolved and intelligent for that, as evidenced by his statement to the Los Angeles Times: “I don’t go for hunting. I just don’t like killing creatures.”

ImageProxy