It is no secret that the trophy hunting industry staggers from one unsavoury incident to the next, be it baiting and shooting of pride male lions , illegal collared elephant hunting or the surgical removal of the remaining large-gene animals. Cecil the Lion was just one example that hit the viral stratosphere, but this kind of behaviour goes on all over Africa, often unreported or not picked up by mainstream media, and it swamps the good that does result from some hunting operations.
Recently, respected filmmaker and conservationist Dereck Joubert shared some of his experiences with trophy hunters that massacred their way through Botswana in the old days. His recollections make for harrowing reading. I have heard similar accounts from multiple people, including former professional hunters. Who knows what political manoeuvrings are behind this, but it is notable that trophy hunting and a perceived lack of local community benefits were at the root of the statement from Parliament.
The trophy hunting industry could play such a powerful role in African conservation there are some examples where this does happen , but in practice it simply refuses to adapt to modern-day conservation realities and rid itself of unsustainable take-offs, corruption and the bad apples that taint the entire industry.
The main focus and revenue drivers are the targeting of big gene elephants, lions, leopards, buffalos etc and these have become increasingly scarce in the wild, resulting in drastic sometimes illegal or contrary to agreed protocol antics to secure the desired trophies. Fenced private game farms appear to be better managed as trophy hunting businesses, with arguably more sustainable practices. For open ecosystems though, this is a classic case of the Tragedy of the Commons.
It appears that this rudderless industry will not change β it is what it is, and it simply does not operate in a manner that is conducive to sustainability in large ecosystems with multiple landowners and land-use models.
