DSC Members,As many of you may have heard or read, the government in Botswana is considering a substantial reform to the country’s wildlife management policy. Included in the reform is the re-opening of hunting on government lands and the re-opening of elephant hunting. The former administration ended Botswana’s long and storied history of wildlife management [...]
"The primary threats to the African elephant (Loxodonta africana) are habitat loss and fragmentation, commercial ivory poaching, and retaliatory killing. Safari hunting has been generating benefits and revenues that are especially effective and unique in reducing those threats and conserving elephant. But for that legal, regulated hunting, the present status and prospects for elephant would [...]
Earlier this week, Hong Kong voted to end its ivory trade. The bill also included an increase for maximum penalties –10 years in jail. Supporters see the ban as closing a large loophole since most of the world banned ivory trade in 1990 with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna [...]
By Andrew Dawson, Zimbabwe Professional Hunter The elephant of Zimbabwe are at a crossroads as a species. His long-term survival is being decided by a seemingly endless, but generally miss-guided cast of politicians, government officials, animal rights groups. The majority are well meaning, but hopelessly miss-informed and often purposely miss-led masses that drive policy via [...]
By Terry L. Anderson and Hannah Downey This article was featured in The Wall Street Journal this morning, November 29, 2017. The debate about hunting lions and elephants has just come roaring back. Earlier this month the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service lifted a ban on importing lion and elephant trophies from Zimbabwe and Zambia. [...]
Dear Members of DSC, As I last reported, DSC President, Craig Nyhus, and I have been in Africa for the last two weeks attending meetings with professional hunting associations and partners. As such, I wanted to provide a quick update. We began our travels in South Africa, attending the Professional Hunters’ Association of South Africa [...]
John Jackson of Conservation Force has developed a list of talking points related to the elephant import situation. This is a must read for anyone who wants to understand the facts on this issue. ELEPHANT TROPHY IMPORTS HAVE NEVER BEEN “BANNED,” AND THE POSITIVE ENHANCEMENT FINDINGS ARE BASED ON THE BEST AVAILABLE INFORMATION RECEIVED [...]
(Nov. 17, 2017--DALLAS) DSC applauds the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announcement regarding a positive enhancement finding for elephants in the countries of Zambia and Zimbabwe. The positive enhancement standard is strict, and requires that the Service find “that the [animal] is taken as part of a well-managed conservation program that contributes to the long-term [...]
