Zambia has lifted the ban on the hunting of leopards for the 2015/2016 hunting season but will allow lion hunting from the 2016/2017 hunting season.
Jean Kapata, Zambia’s Minister of Tourism and Arts, said during a press briefing that safari hunting was a profitable and sustainable form of tourism and if it was properly managed, could benefit all parties and improve the livelihood of rural communities.
According to Kapata, the Zambia Wildlife Authority has produced a document that describes the status of lion in Zambia and prescribes guidelines that will be used to regulate cat hunting in Zambia.
In 2013, the country banned cat hunting, as the numbers of big cats were too low to have a sustainable hunting industry. However, according to Kapata, the low numbers were mainly due to ‘weak’ regulations. This has now changed. During a TV interview with CCTV Africa, Kapata said the country had 4 000 lions and 8 000 leopards.
Some conservationists have applauded the move. Moses Nyirenda, WWF Zambia, explains: “This is a good move by the government. It’s a move that is going to assist in restoring the stewardship of lion as well as leopard conservation, especially among the communities who are now going to receive some income from hunting.”
However, the tourism industry is worried that the benefits reaped from hunting will not outweigh the negative publicity that will ensue from lifting the hunting ban.
One operator told Tourism Update the small amounts of money going to communities from hunting was just not enough of an incentive for most people to protect the areas, while another argued that the prices of flagship species such as leopard and lion were so low that the killing of the animals was financially unjustifiable.
“The gazetted cost of a lion licence is $4 200 and a leopard is $2 650. Eleven hunting blocks have been awarded for the 2015 season. This year, even if they give two leopards to each hunting block, 22 leopard will be killed – generating $58 300,” said one source, who chose to remain anonymous. “Half of that will be divided by 11 communities – $2 650 revenue for each community that has leopard hunting. ZAWA's revenue for allowing leopard hunting this year will be $29 150. All this negative press and bad PR for Zambia and all for $29 000?”
