When it comes to debating the effects of hunting on wildlife populations, some say it’s good and others claim it’s bad. The one side is generally all for hunting, and the other are all for the natural order of things.

So when the US Democrats Natural Resources Committee (NRC) looks into the deeper understandings of hunting and its effect on every aspect of the arguments, one should realise that their results are more objective than many of the debates out there.

In their report titled “Missing the Mark”, the NRC outlined just how hunting hurts wildlife populations.

First off money paid to nations like our own, and our neighbours Namibia, Tanzania, and Zimbabwe to hunt wildlife does little to aid conservation – thanks to poor levels of management. The report said that:

…despite the justification of aiding conservation, populations of the animals most sought after (specifically the ‘big five’) have seen massive decline, with certain species (such as the Northern Black rhino) on the brink of extinction.

“On paper, all four countries examined in this report have equally strong frameworks for ensuring that trophy hunts benefit species conservation. Unfortunately, the implementation of these frameworks has in many cases been marred by corruption and has not produced the advertised and desired results.

“Even in countries with better execution of wildlife conservation plans, significant questions remain about whether or not trophy hunting is sustainable.”

It is a difficult task keeping track of wildlife data, noted the NSC, as many countries base their figures on old data or unreliable reporting.

Declining wildlife populations

• African Elephant – 420,000 – 650,000
• White Rhino – fewer than 16,000
• Black Rhino – fewer than 5,000
• Leopard – undetermined, but fewer than 4,000 (South Africa), 14,000 (Namibia)
• African Lion – fewer than 20,000

The average cost of hunting the “big five” – which ranges between R2.8 million and R4.4 million-plus to get the whole ‘set’.

• Lion – $8,500-$50,000
• Elephant – $25,000-$60,000
• White Rhino – $125,000+
• Leopard – $15,000-$35,000
• Buffalo – $12,500-$17,000

• Average cost – $186,000 – $287,000+

South Africa is the country that is more effective when it comes to hunting and conservation, but still has an issue with rhino poaching. According to the Endangered Wildlife Trust (EWT), South Africa has lost more than R1.3 billion to rhino poaching since 2008.

“Wildlife management in South Africa is generally better funded than in many other places on the continent, but the country’s wildlife population has been hit hard by poaching in recent years, particularly with respect to its white rhino population,” the group said.

“While trophy hunting industry proponents assert that the presence of hunting operations deters poaching, there is no evidence of such an effect. Rhino poaching has soared during the last decade even as the South African government has encouraged trophy hunting.”

Read the rest of the report HERE.

[source: businesstech]