Hunting Group Sues USFWS Over Ban on Importing Elephant Hunt Trophies

[n2doc]

Hunting advocacy group Safari Club International says its suing the US Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) over its recent ban on the importation of sport-hunted elephant trophies from Zimbabwe and Tanzania.

Contending that the FWS initiated the ban based on inadequate information, the hunting group filed the lawsuit in federal district court in the District of Columbia on Monday. The lawsuit follows the Safari Club International (SCI) publicly asking the FWS to rescind its ban.

The SCI contends that the temporary ban, which was put into effect earlier this month, does more harm than good. Sport hunting in the African nations is a key means of conservation overall, providing revenue to combat illegal poaching and support local economies, the SCI said in a statement detailing its lawsuit.

The FWS, however, said it elected to ban the import of sport-hunted elephant trophies from Zimbabwe and Tanzania based on a history of poor regulations in the African nations, as well as a growing need to address the impact of illegal poaching on the nations' elephants.

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http://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/6732/20140424/hunting-group-sues-usfws-over-ban-on-importing-elephant-hunt-trophies.htm

[2naSalit]

1. Again?!?

[Jgarrick]

2. The import ban will certainly have a negative impact on the economies of Zimbabwe and Tanzania.

Both countries get significant tourist dollars from big game hunters.

[Chuuku Davis]

3. Correct

Those countries rely on the big bucks hunters bring in
And the elephants to be culled will be killed by game officers if the hunters do not do it
The land can only support so many elephants
I have spent 2.5 years over there

[Chan790]

4. Tanzania has enough other resources that they shouldn't miss it.

Mt. Kilimanjaro brings substantially more people to Tanzania than legalized sport-hunting. It's one of the most-prestigious jewels of the climbing world. On average 40,000 people a year come to Tanzania to tackle Africa's member of the Seven Summits.

Beyond that, Dar Es Salaam is one of the largest cities in Africa and a major global banking hub; they're one of the most mineral-rich nations on Earth, a net food-exporter, a tourist destination, and one of the most-developed nations in Africa, largely the result of their comparatively stable economy.

That's not to say it's perfect...they have one of the largest wealth disparities of any nation on Earth, have serious issues of child labor and are working to crack-down upon a largely-formless-and-unfortunately-resilient child-sex industry.

Their economy is hardly going to implode over a sizable decrease in elephant sport-hunting though. It may implode over other issues...specifically their continuing inability to close a brutal regional wealth gap that encompasses some of the poorest people on Earth and some of the wealthiest areas of Africa.