Hunt laws 'must be on target'

2006-06-19 18:23

Johannesburg - South Africa's proposals to clamp down on "canned hunting" or the killing of captive animals will be useless unless the laws are clear and properly enforced, said an animal welfare group on Monday.

"All the bills and laws in the world will not stop the scourge of captive hunting and the loopholes will be exploited," said Neil Greenwood of the southern Africa chapter of the International Fund for Animal Welfare.

He was speaking as the deadline closed for public comment on government proposals to regulate captive hunting, which brings in about R25bn a year in South Africa, drawing game hunters from Europe and the United States.

He said a major drawback was that the distance from which an animal could be killed or the dimensions of the hunting area were not spelt out.

"No minimum dimensions have been given, which then creates a situation that becomes subjective to interpretation about the specific measurement of the area in which an animal can be hunted and from what distance," he said.

Need to know about enforcement

Greenwood also said the proposed laws needed to be implemented effectively.

"It's all very well to make suggestions, but we need to know how the government plans to enforce all of this," he said.

The proposals were unveiled by Environmental Affairs Minister Marthinus van Schalkwyk in May to bring in "integrity and best practices".

Citing examples where rhinos had been killed with crossbows or bows and arrows, he had said, adding that hunting should be conducted along "fair chase" principles, pitting the hunter's wits against those of the animal.

South Africa has become one of the hunting world's greatest draws, attracting about 9 500 foreign hunters every year, said the Professional Hunters' Association of South Africa last year.

About 9 000 privately owned ranches employ about 70 000 people to cater to foreign hunters who come to hunt animals including Africa's "Big Five" - lion, leopard, buffalo, elephant and rhino.

- AFP