British trophy hunters flocking to South Africa to hunt zebras, post photos on Facebook while govt decides on ban
British citizens are flying to South Africa for packaged safari holidays that promote trophy hunting and killing of threatened and endangered wild animals. They are then posting photographs of themselves grinning and posing with the bodies of the animals they hunted, online.
One of the hunters, also believed to be a tour operator, Andy Denson posted a photo to Facebook of the hunt. Another hunter, Pete Livesey, was pictured kneeling next to the body of a hunted zebra.
He was a customer of the popular Huntershill Safaris in South Africa and said of the experience in April 2016, "Never had so much fun with my pants on".
On the websites of Huntershill Safaris and that of another company called Umlilo Safaris, multiple photos of tourists are seen posing smiling next to the carcasses of zebras.
In South Africa, trophy hunting is not illegal. Denson is also a taxidermist and claims these trophy-hunting trips are for conservation.
On these websites, tourists can add animals they wish to kill from a list of upwards of 40 species, with a zebra costing £500 and taxidermy costing £900. It costs £1,666 extra to hunt a giraffe and £6,422 for a hippopotamus.
There are three species of zebra with them being classified between vulnerable to endangered by the International Union of the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Loss of habitat, climate change, and hunting are listed as some of the reasons for the dwindling populations of these animals.
The Plains Zebra commonly found in South Africa and Zambia is listed as near threatened. The larger Grevy Zebra found in Kenya is listed as vulnerable whereas the smaller Mountain Zebra, commonly found in Namibia and South Africa, is also listed as endangered.
The United Kingdom is currently considering a ban on the import of these souvenirs such as body parts, furs, and rugs by trophy hunters. Animal Welfare Minister Zac Goldsmith said, "I look at the photos and it turns my stomach".
In August, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson's partner, conservationist Carrie Symonds, spoke out against the tourists who pay thousands of pounds to kill animals.
She posted on Twitter, "Can you imagine the hunters below fighting these majestic beasts without needing to hide behind a rock and without needing to use a massive gun? "
Symonds had also written, "Animals don't have a voice. They depend on us to do the right thing. I'm pretty certain this isn't it."
On September 28, she tweeted, "Britain set to have the toughest trophy hunting rules in the world." Some countries including France, Australia, and the Netherlands have banned the imports of specific animals such as lions.
The UK's ban will affect dozens of endangered animals and will include animals cited by the IUCN and those on the Cites Appendix I and II lists.
Eduardo Goncalves of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting said it is unbelievable that there are "hardly any legal restrictions on shooting zebras for fun".
He said, "So many of Africa's greatest wild animals are already suffering thanks to the vile trophy hunting industry. Now zebras have joined the list. In April last year zebras were officially listed as vulnerable."
"The Grévy's zebra species are listed as endangered. What is it going to take to stop these killers from wiping out our wildlife completely?" he added.