Ingeblikte jacht

Ingeblikte jacht

There has been widespread rejoicing in and outside SA over the recent High Court decision handed down on 11th June in Bloemfontein. The press has published misleading headlines like 'the end of the road for canned hunting.' Unfortunately, this is a long and winding road, and the end is nowhere in sight. The so-called two year wilding rule is only an inconvenience to lion hunters because if lions are released from their separate cages into a large camp they will fight with each other. One can farm with, say, 500 lions only if they are kept in separate enclosures. In fact, notwithstanding this judicial decision, we can expect canned hunting to continue to flourish for years to come. The lion breeders will certainly lodge an appeal, and cancer is faster than the SA legal system. It will take years to drag through the appeals process. No legal action will ever close this industry down. Perhaps a filibuster was the strategy from the outset.

As can be seen from the judgment, the Minister himself accepts that the two year wilding rule will not close the industry down. Lions are anyway excluded from the Regulations currently, and the killing free for all will go on un-constrained for years as the appeals process drags out. And then there is the 'phasing out' process adverted to in the judgment. For the thousands of lions caught up in this dreadful commercial activity, this whole Court case is much ado about nothing. Do not be deceived by media hype - there is nothing to celebrate.

THIS IS MOST CERTAINLY NOT THE END OF THE ROAD FOR CANNED HUNTING.


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