AR radicals like @CBTHunting claim #huntingisnotconservation but object to #trophyhunting even when populations of wild lion, elephant, rhino & giraffe are demonstrably in range states where hunting funds & protects vital habitat. In truth #AnimalRightsIsNotConservation Thread

That is not to say that the AR agenda isn’t worthwhile. I am just dismayed by the dishonesty and ignorance of the anti TH campaign which pretends trophy hunters threaten endangered species when more often, the exact opposite is true.

Trophy hunting is far from perfect and a campaign to eliminate corruption and ensure sustainable quotas are responsibly set and observed everywhere would be welcome, as would fairer revenue sharing in some cases. But much hunting already benefits communities and is sustainable.

Still AR campaigners don’t want that. They want a total ban, risking all the habitat & wildlife currently reliant on funding from hunting (>50% of wilderness habitat left in Africa today). And they want a ban now, without viable alternatives standing ready to replace hunters’ $$.

The track record of such bans is terrible. Kenya banned hunting in 1977 and has since lost most of the wildlife it had then. Zambia & Botswana have recently trialled moratoriums on hunting, but could not attract tourists to ex hunting areas to replace lost $$ so hunting returned.

Dictating how developing countries should manage their wildlife smacks of neo-colonialism, especially when many of these countries have an unparalleled record of conservation which countries like the UK cannot hold a candle to.

Of course some people may always object to TH and want it banned no matter the wider consequences. But as @avochie notes, we should be careful what we wish for and wary of the greater evils that genuinely threaten endangered wildlife.

Ubi solitudinem faciunt, pacem appellant