|
We all surely are by now aware of the “secret” meeting currently being conducted between the US pro-hunting lobby Safari Club International and the South African Department of Environmental Affairs. The obvious aim is to promote future trophy hunting and to exclude all those who might have a different view.
I commented earlier that these sorts of meetings are no longer acceptable. Indeed, they are unconstitutional. While the SCI is a private lobbying group, the DEA is supposed to represent the South African people. Excluding the NGOs and South African citizens to this meeting is nothing less than disgusting.
Inside information is now telling me this:
“SCI FOUNDATION AND SOUTH AFRICAN MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS are hosting a conference which is consulting with most African countries respective wildlife authorities and hunting industries, the meetings include the Outfitters and Professional Hunters Assoc of Africa, we are in day two of presentations . Today will cover Captive Lion Management and Hunting , Carnivores in Zambezi Region, caprivi carnivore project, Tanzania Lion Project, the USFWS will present Enhancement Under the US Endangered species act and The CITIES SECRETARIAT will present Illegal Elephant Killing , Ivory Trade , followed by presentation on CAPFIRE and the impact of the elephant ban.
SCI should be once again commended for sponsoring and organising this timely convention.”
Please read this with some filling in of bad grammar and missing words.
So the conference will discuss the so-called Caprivi Carnivore Project? That project is run by Lise Hanssen, supported by the Panthera Foundation (and SCI?), a big promoter of trophy hunting. The Tanzania Lion Project is funded by SCI. Tanzania is desperate to continue lion trophy hunting. Richard Leakey in a recent talk in London said that Tanzania is massively corrupt – fertile field for SCI?
Overall, what we all need to realize is that we should and must insist that these “exclusive” conferences should be banned.
Are the DEA and SCI too threatened to open the conference doors to those who might have scientific and credible information to oppose? And how could any scientific researcher allow their "evidence" to be shared in a secret meeting?
Picture credit: christrescuemission.org
|
