Canned hunting resolution stays

OF PHASA PRESIDENT CHANGES NOTHING Hunters’ association wants subcommittee to find workable solution.

The Professional Hunters’ Association of South Africa’s (Phasa) condemnation of the hunting of captive-bred lions will not change with the recent change in leadership.

Phasa’s statement followed the resignation of its president, Stan Burger, and the appointment of Dries van Coller to replace him.

“The resolution is not under threat at all and stays in place,” Phasa spokesperson Retha van Reenen said yesterday.

Phasa’s 2015 resolution on the hunting of captive-bred lions stated it distanced “... itself from all captive-bred lion hunting and breeding until such time as the South African Predator Association (Sapa) can convince Phasa and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) that captive-bred lion hunting is beneficial to lion conservation.”

In 2016, Phasa made another resolution that a subcommittee representing Phasa, Sapa and any other interested parties must find “a workable and acceptable solution, if any, for the lawful and acceptable utilisation of captive-bred lions”.

Van Reenen said Phasa, Sapa, the Limpopo Hunters Liaison Forum and the department of environmental affairs were investigating possible solutions, as well as possibly revising existing norms and standards of the hunting of captive bred lions to improve the regulation of wild, wild-managed, and captive-bred lion hunting in South Africa.

“Nothing has been decided yet, but Phasa is adamant whatever is decided upon must ultimately benefit the African lion and be in line with the aims and objectives of Phasa,” said Van Reenen.

Drew Abrahamson, founder of Captured in Africa, said canned hunting was a commercial industry.

“It is this industry which has seen an increase in a need for genuine sanctuary homes for lions. This year, we’ve relocated seven lions, of which one was from a breeding farm and two were from Pretoria Zoo as the lions didn’t want to hunt,” said Abrahamson.

“I have two more embroiled in a court case waiting at a wildlife vet and there’s been a few wild lion cases too,” Abrahamson said. –

Picture: EPA UNDER FIRE. A rare white lion male at the Rhino and Lion Nature Reserve. Canned hunting is again in the news after the resignation of Professional Hunters’ Association of SA president Stan Burger.