I am an avid fan of the Travel Channel and it usually has these “did you know” segments where they give some facts about different countries. I came across one on Mauritius and that the Dodo bird. This flightless bird was once in abundance but is now extinct and all we have left of it are its remains in British museums and Wikipedia that tell us of its existence.
Over the weekend I read an article on Mwebantu News Media Facebook page indicating that the ban of hunting lions and leopards had been lifted by the Minister of Tourism. I was taken aback by this statement because just two (2) years earlier then Minister of Tourism banned the hunting of these animals because their numbers were decreasing. (http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/zambia/9793371/Zambia-bans-hunting-of-big-cats.html)
“The cats are gone, and no amount of convincing from any sector or group will convince me otherwise,”
I was very keen to hear whether the lifting of this ban means that the numbers had become too many and the hunting would help moderate the numbers but all I got from the statement was that this is a very profitable business and that the revenue that would be collected from this would be ‘beneficial to all Zambians’ (http://www.times.co.zm/?p=59137). I would like to know what are the current numbers and what measures have been put in place to ensure that the hunting would not endanger our Big Cats from being extinct like the Dodo bird. Have the lions and leopards managed to breed to such an extent that in two (2) years their numbers are so large that they can be hunted? Has this really been well thought?
Currently, there is a petition to stop the government from lifting the ban on social media and I have seen many foreigners have signed it. I also noted that some have even vowed not to visit Zambia because of the fact that we are now allowing our cats to be hunted so this leaves me to wonder who then will be hunting and how will this attract tourism if it is not being received positively. (http://www.zambiatourism.com/zawa-explains-hunting-ban-lift)
I personally feel this decision should be revisited by the government. It may be a lucrative venture according to them but what about being stewards of the creation that God has blessed us with. I don’t want my children to be reading about lions and leopards in Zambia from Wikipedia and not be able to physically see one because we failed to be good stewards of our wildlife. Or maybe we enjoy seeing Facebook posts from Melissa Bachman smiling next to her kill.
Here is a link to the petition.
http://www.thepetitionsite.com/840/418/945/stop-government-who-is-lifting-ban-on-the-hunting-of-lions-and-leopards-in-zambias-game-parks/?taf_id=13797762&cid=fb_na#
iaraf's musings 