today i got the following email and i ask anybody to protest against it by sending letters to chrisandbev@mweb.co.za in order to get bulk complains about that scandal!
We refer to the press statements released by Minister van Schalkwyk on Tuesday, February 20th, 2007, in which the Minister alleged that the new regulations which would come into effect on June 1st would outlaw the hunting of captive-bred predators, popularly known as Canned Hunting.
The extravagant claims made by the Minister are not supported by an analysis of either the regulations or the new hunting policy.
Neither the new regulations nor the policy gives a definition of ‘canned hunting’. The only definition which would satisfy public concerns is the following:
Canned hunting is the hunting of a target animal where that animal is unfairly prevented from escaping the hunter, either through physical constraints (such as fencing) or mental constraints (habituation to humans).
If this definition is accepted then the Minister’s claims are misleading since the new legislation will actually entrench and legalize canned hunting.
The much vaunted claims to ban canned hunting by requiring a 2-year ‘rehabilitation process’ for predators before captive-bred predators may be hunted is meaningless nonsense.
First, such restrictions would be difficult to supervise even by a conservation service which was not corrupted to hunting.
Second, moving a young lion from a cage to a camp in which there are a few springbok would involve no hardship to the captive breeders and would satisfy the loose and vague definition of ‘extensive wildlife system’.
The Minister’s claim for uniformity is contradicted by the provisions on bow hunting which maintains the present disparity between provinces by allowing bow hunting in provinces which permit it.
Contrary to the Minister’s statement, hunting from a vehicle is permitted when following up a wounded animal. Who is going to supervise and certify that the wounds were inflicted before or after the vehicle was used?
Similarly the shocking practice of setting a pack of dogs upon a captive-bred target animal in order to facilitate the killing by hunters has not been outlawed completely, but may be done where the animal is wounded. Once more, how can one possibly tell from a carcass whether the wounds were inflicted before or after the dogs were set upon the animal?
Any person who claims that the new regulations ban canned hunting has either not read the new regulations, or does not understand them.
We would characterize the Minister’s extravagant claims as both misleading and mischievous and we call for a complete ban on the hunting of any captive-bred animal.
The Minister’s assessment of the economic value of hunting misses the point that it is a wasteful use of land for the community at large. Further, the mindless endorsement of cruel hunting fails to recognize that hunting is not only a threat to conservation, but has the potential to cause much greater economic loss to legitimate eco-tourism than hunting is worth.
Besides, the notion that a land owner can make more money by being cruel to animals than he can by caring for livestock has both religious and ethical ramifications.
Chris Mercer
Campaign Against Canned Hunting Inc (Sec 21 non-profit)
South Africa
the minister's statement
Environment Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk dealt canned lion hunting a death blow on Tuesday by outlawing the hunting of captive-bred large predators within two years of their release on a property for the purpose of hunting.
Announcing new regulations on threatened and protected species - to come into effect on June 1 - he told journalists in Cape Town he intended "putting an end, once and for all, to the reprehensible practice of canned hunting".
The regulations specifically prohibited "hunting large predators and rhinoceros that are 'put and take' animals - in other words, a captive-bred animal that is released on a property for the purpose of hunting within twenty-four months".
Click here!
Van Schalkwyk's announcement is certain to send shock-waves through sections of South Africa's hunting community. Previously, it was proposed animals be free-ranging for six months before being hunted.
"South Africa has a long-standing reputation as a global leader on conservation issues. We can not allow our achievements to be undermined by rogue practices such as canned lion hunting," he said.
The new regulations signalled the start of a clean-up of the hunting industry.
"They lay the basis for a well-regulated and ethical hunting and game farming industry in South Africa.
"While we applaud their substantial and positive contribution to conservation management and economic growth, we also have a responsibility to preserve the resource base and ensure that the industry has a sustainable future."
In order to do this, it was necessary to balance economic objectives with conservation management objectives.
"Hunting is an important industry, but we must manage it in accordance with ethical and defensible standards," he said.
For this reason, the regulations included prohibitions and restrictions on certain activities and methods of hunting.
"For example, hunting thick-skinned animals and large predators with a bow and arrow will be prohibited, and hunting from vehicles will no longer be allowed."
The implementation of the regulations was the first in a two-step process.
"The next step will be to promote even greater uniformity with regard to elements of the hunting industry that we are not dealing with today.
"We will introduce national norms and standards that provide a framework for provincial regulation and further streamline permitting. This will also be developed in close consultation with the industry, provincial authorities and other stakeholders."
Van Schalkwyk warned that the "Green Scorpions" would play a key role in ensuring compliance with the new regulations.
The new regulations also introduce a uniform national system for the registration of captive breeding operations, commercial exhibition facilities, game farms, nurseries, scientific institutions, sanctuaries and rehabilitation facilities. - Sapa
) and we should have learned to NOT trust a politician's words 
