Which African Country Has Banned Trophy Hunting?
In the wake of the sickening shooting of Cecil the lion in Zimbabwe, Botswana has made it clear that killing animals for “sport” is not welcome within its borders.
A government spokesperson from the country, which borders South Africa and Zimbabwe, explained why it’s taking a stance against trophy hunters such as the American dentist who shot Cecil with a bow and arrow last week.
It is our stern belief that safari hunting of threatened species such as lions has the potential to undermine our regional anti-poaching efforts as it encourages illegal trade which in turn promotes poaching.
He added:
Last year we also moved to close any loopholes in the export of our lions etc for canned hunting in your country (South Africa) or elsewhere.
Botswana has set a wonderful example for how governments can take real action to help animals. And in more good news in the campaign against hunting, airlines such as Delta Air Lines and American Airlines are banning the transport of all lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros and buffalo “trophies” (ie, body parts) worldwide as freight. This will make it much more difficult for hunters to fly home the decapitated heads of the animals they’ve murdered.
It can be easy to feel despair about humanity when you see grotesque pictures showing hunters posing with the dead bodies of beautiful animals they have shot. But as the massive online reaction to Cecil the lion’s story has shown, these sick individuals are massively outnumbered by the hundreds of thousands of compassionate people all over the world who know that animals’ lives matter and who would never kill for sport.
And together, we are making progress towards getting animals the protections they deserve.
