The South African government wants to issue permits so trophy hunters can kill 10 leopards, 10 black rhinos and 150 elephants in 2022.The Western Cape High Court has temporarily blocked the attempt on technical grounds but the fight is far from over because the government will certainly appeal.
According to the Daily Maverick, South Africa is the world’s second-largest exporter of hunting trophies and accounts for more than 16% of the global total. Between 2014 and 2018, the country exported 574 leopard trophies, 1,337 elephant trophies and 21 black rhino trophies. On the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, leopards are categorized as vulnerable, black rhinos are critically endangered and elephant populations are diminishing by the day.
ASI campaigner Tayla Lance says that trophy hunting is a scandal that the world should ban. “The organized slaughter of endangered wild animals is irrational and cruel, and must not be allowed to continue,” she said. “Trophy hunting businesses always claim that the income generated by killing the animals justifies the slaughter, and dodges the profound ethical issues involved. Slaughtering animals to satisfy the egos of those who are titillated by killing animals is clearly wrong and should be completely outlawed.”
Image credit: Art of Safari
