Activists Charge New South African quotCannedquot Hunting Regulations a 8220Farce8221



Animal rights activists contend that the practice of 's8220;canned hunting's8221; in South Africa is a 's8220;shameful's8221; practice, since animals are bred in captivity simply to act as living targets for hunters, who pay large fees to shoot a trophy. At issue now is new wording in government proposals to regulate captive hunting, which conservative estimates show brings in R25-billion a year and 9500 hunters from Europe and the United States.

Activist Chris Mercer charges that 's8220;Cunning loopholes in the new policies mean that anyone with a pocket full of dollars may still quite legitimately set a pack of dogs upon a tame captive bred lion or other animal, and then shoot it with a variety of weapons including bow and arrow and hand guns.'s8221;

Section 17 of the proposed new standards suggests that captive animals can be killed ethically and humanely. A definition of the word 's8220;humane's8221; is included in the proposed standards as hunting which is 1) is reconcilable with the prevailing norms of society against cruelty to animals, 2) causes no, or minimum, suffering, and 3) causes no distress to other animals in the vicinity of the hunted animal.

Mercer and other activists maintain that this is a 's8220;bizarre's8221; idea which relies upon semantics and word-play's8212;ignoring the real and tangible suffering the hunted animal experiences. This practice is especially heinous because the animals are reared in situations where they are taught to trust humans and then confined for the hunt, with no means of escape.

's8220;Canned hunting has been defined away into oblivion,'s8221; Mercer says. He adds that, under the new regulations, hunters may still quite legitimately set a pack of dogs upon a tame captive bred lion or other animal, and then shoot it with a variety of weapons including bow and arrow and hand guns.

In order to demonstrate the pitfalls of the new conservation language, Mercer has posted a parody of the story of a canned rhino hunt at Kuruman Game Park from the perspective of the proposed standards. The actual story and its counterpart can be accessed at
http://www.cannedlion.co.za/articles/rhinosham.htm

Even though the window for official public comment on the proposed new law has passed, protests may be sent to:

The Department of Environmental Affairs aAnd Tourism Pretoria
Tel: 012 310 3955.
Please submit all written comments to:
The Director-General Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
Private Bag X447
PRETORIA 0001
For Attention: Dr. Pieter Botha





Activists Charge New South African quotCannedquot Hunting Regulations a 8220Farce8221