PUBLIC PRESSURE THOUGHT TO HAVE INFORMED THE DECISION BY THE ZAMBIAN GOVERNMENT
(Posted 13th June 2019)
Three year old plans to cull at least two thousand hippos in the Luangwa Valley of Zambia have been abandoned by the government, prompting protests by the hunting company which got the contract for the overkill.
Umlilo Safaris, a South African hunting outfit blames a ‘well orchestrated hate campaign against us‘ as the main reason, conveniently overlooking the fact that the global conservation fraternity stood up for an animal species which IUCN has listed as ‘vulnerable‘.
The company subsequently also confirmed that booked hunting trips were few, largely as a result of sport hunting becoming increasingly socially unacceptable following excesses by hunters like the one who shot an iconic lion in Zimbabwe two years ago.
The Zambian government, apart from the announcement, did not comment further on the change of heart but it is thought that the local non consumptive tourism industry, which has recorded major growth in recent years, have prevailed upon them to stop the kill in order to grow safari tourism even further.
