Hunting trophy show loses venue

TORONTO — An African trophy hunting show that was expecting to bring hundreds of hunters from across the globe to a venue north of Toronto this weekend is scrambling to find a new host. African Events Canada, the organizer of The Africa Show, says it’s looking for a new host after Borgata Wedding Event Venue cancelled the booking Friday afternoon, citing “threats” from animal rights activists. The show was to run in Vaughan, Ont., offering opportunities to book trips to Africa to hunt animals such as lions, leopards, elephants and hippopotamuses. Birgit Johnstone, who owns African Events Canada, says the news came as nearly 30 of her exhibitors were setting up their booths after flying in from Africa. Johnstone says Borgata’s owner told her the venue was cancelling the event space for safety reasons. Animal Justice spokeswoman Camille Labchuk says the group applauds Borgata Events for taking a strong stance against what she called “the cruel trophy hunting industry.”