South Africa has banned the leopard hunt for the 2016 season. This will be the first time in decades that the hunters are not allowed to hunt the "Big 5" game animals in the country.
According to Reuters Africa, hunters will not be allowed to target the so-called "Big 5" game animals in South Africa since the government imposed a ban on leopard hunts in 2016. The temporary restriction comes in the wake of a worldwide chaos last year over the killing of Cecil the Lion in Zimbabwe by a U.S. dentist.
But the decision allegedly was driven by science and not by emotion on the act. In fact, South African Environment Minister Edna Molewa is very vocal on her advocacy of the hunting industry. The government claimed that the campaign contributes approximately 6.2 billion rand or $410 million per year to Africa's most advanced economy.
ALJAZEERA reported that, the leopard is recognized as one of the "Big 5" game animals most desired by hunters. Lion, Rhino, buffalo, and elephant are also included on the list of the"Big 5." Because of their secretive and nocturnal characteristics, it is not easy for environmentalists to count down these leopards.
The Hunting of the "Big 5" has been legal in South Africa since the 1980's. The hunting game resumed at that time for white rhinos.
The South African National Biodiversity Institute, which is the government's research organization, made the recommendation of the temporary restriction order of hunting the "Big 5." It said that leopard numbers could not be firmly established. "There is uncertainty about the numbers and this is not a permanent ban, but we need more information to guide quotas," John Donaldson, its director of research stated.
Moreover, the institute also worked on studies and gathered data from a lot of source, but Donaldson expressed his concern that most of these animals are from protected areas and national parks, not from private lands. However, the Professional Hunters Association of South Africa or PHASA said that this provides an incomplete picture of the whole scenario.
"There are lots of leopards on private land," stated the chief executive of the Professional Hunters Association of South Africa, Tharia Unwin, via Yahoo! News. She also added that the association was providing the government with the leopard data from the private areas.
Meanwhile, most of the foreign hunters who come to South Africa for the hunting game are allegedly Americans. The association also noted that it cost up to $200,000 fine to shoot a leopard, and PHASA's members had to refund clients who already put down deposits for the leopard hunts, but the ban will still continue for 2016.
