Zambia Lifts Ban on Hunting

Zambian Tourism and Arts Minister, Jean Kapata, announced that the ban on hunting, which was enacted in January 2013, has been lifted. Safari Club International (SCI) and SCI Foundation maintained that the ban was counter-productive to the conservation needs of Zambia, and today’s decision should be heralded as a win for sustainable-use conservation.

“SCI and SCI Foundation commend Minister Kapata on his decision,” said SCI Foundation Joe Hosmer. “Like most range states, Zambia relies on hunting revenue for most of their conservation funding, so maintaining sustainable hunting is crucial to their wildlife’s survival.”

When the ban was initiated in January 2013, SCI and SCI Foundation immediately met with the Zambian government officials educating them on the commitment of the hunting community to sustainable use conservation. These meetings set the course for today’s policy reversal.

Though cat hunting is still banned, the lifting of the ban is in response to Zambia’s attempt to diversify its economy. Copper currently monopolizes two-thirds of its foreign exchange earnings and the government hopes that reintroducing regulated hunting across the country will stimulate its economy and encourage conservation of its wildlife.

“Regulated, sustainable hunting gives additional value to wildlife and ensures that governments dedicate the necessary resources toward wildlife management,” SCI President Craig Kauffman said. “Zambia is a country with diverse and plentiful wildlife populations. Lifting the ban will produce multiple opportunities for Zambia to capitalize on this resource and provide sustainable, healthy populations for years to come. “

Zambia has stated that the ban on cat hunting will remain in effect until a survey on lion population numbers is complete. Currently SCI Foundation is funding a Zambia Lion Project (ZLP) to assist with this information. The ZLP is conducting genetic and demographic research to assess the current status of lions, and to develop and promote practices that ensure the long- term sustainability and health of Zambia’s lion populations. These best practices for wildlife management will be discussed at this year’s African Wildlife Consultative Forum (AWCF) as they are crucial in ensuring sustainable hunting is possible.

Contact:

Nelson Freeman; media@safariclub.org

Safari Club International

Protecting hunters’ rights and promoting wildlife conservation, SCI’s two areas of focus, historically has been the interest of hundreds of individuals long before SCI was established. But how did SCI as an organization begin?

Forty years ago, there were many safari clubs across the country made up of local, unaffiliated groups of hunters. One such was Safari Club of Los Angeles, which was formed in April 1971 by forty-seven individuals. In early 1972, an out-of-towner from a similar club in Chicago attended one of the monthly Wednesday night meetings, and it was decided that the L.A. club should attempt to combine with the one in Chicago to make it an affiliated chapter. The founder of Safari Club of Los Angeles, C.J. McElroy, went to the Windy City and instituted the new chapter.

Eleven months after the formation of Safari Club of Los Angeles, on March 9, 1972, the name was changed officially to Safari Club International. SCI continued to reach out to other independent safari clubs throughout the United States in an effort to combine them into a single overall organization.

Today, interest in SCI’s two primary missions has grown a worldwide network. Subsequent involvement and promotion of these missions is rooted in each of our 55,000 members, supported through each of our 190 membership chapters found across the globe, and put into action by government representatives and personnel both nationally and internationally.

In this way, we can encourage an appreciation for nature and wildlife so that conservation efforts remain strong, while also fighting to protect our rich hunting heritage. Big changes can be achieved through the endeavors of many who are united in a mission – the mission of Safari Club International.