Fury over decision to let trophy hunters kill 2,000 hippos in Zambia
Wild hippo numbers across Africa are under growing pressure, with a maximum estimate of just 130,000.
TIM STICKINGS: ‘Animal rights campaigners have voiced fury at the Zambian government’s decision to allow trophy hunters to kill 2,000 hippos in a five-year ‘cull’. The government announced the plans to eliminate 400 of the animals a year in 2016, claiming there was a risk of an anthrax outbreak. Zambian officials initially climbed down but the charity Born Free said the cull has secretly been restarted under the guise of a ‘wildlife management tool’.
The ‘cull’ has been promoted to trophy hunting companies who have in turn offered ‘management hunts’ to customers. One of the hunting firms, based in South Africa, offered a six-night expedition in Zambia with ‘five hippos per hunter’ for £10,500. Another South African website offers hippo trophy hunting for €7,500 (£6,500)…
Born Free said on its website that Zambia’s Department of National Parks & Wildlife (DNPW) had failed to provide any evidence of overpopulation… The World Wide Fund for Nature describes the hippo as ‘vulnerable’. Wild hippo numbers across Africa are under growing pressure, with a maximum estimate of just 130,000 animals, according to Born Free’. SOURCE…
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