Demand the Zimbabwe Government to Stop All Trophy Hunting and Turn to Ecotourism

Dear Mrs Muchinguri, Mr Chidziya,

In the wake of the killing of Cecil the lion and a huge tusker elephant by trophy hunters, we sign this petition to ask that your government ban all trophy hunting and instead turn to ecotourism.

Cecil was only one of 23 or 24 lions that was collared and then killed near Hwange National Park (1). In other national parks too, the prides are being decimated as every time a lion leaves the safety of the national park, a hunter legally kills them. This can have devastating consequences on a lion pride. In the case of the tusker elephant killed recently near Gonarezhou National Park, it simply walked peacefully into the hunters’ camp and was then shot (2). He too was only one of many elephants killed in hunting areas every year, often on the edge of national parks. I have seen with my own eyes, when driving through a hunting area to reach a national park, the terror of elephants as they flee for their lives on sighting a vehicle, giving a clear indication of the harm that humans have caused these gentle giants.

Protecting wildlife makes economic sense - if animals live, tourists will come and economies can be boosted. Ecotourism, defined as "responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment, sustains the well-being of the local people, and involves interpretation and education" (3), provides a win-win solution for people and for wildlife. It involves animal viewing camps, safaris and photo-tours all based around the thrilling experience of viewing wild animals.

Ecotourism brings more money to the economy than hunting. This is because although hunters pay large sums, ordinary tourists are much more numerous. A hunter shoots an animal once, but tourists can view and take pictures of an animal repeatedly during the lifetime of an animal. A maned male lion has been estimated to earn $2 million through ecotourism (4), compared to the $50,000 which was paid to kill Cecil forever. In the case of an elephant, during its long life it is worth more than $1.6 million in ecotourism opportunities (5), compared to the $60,000 paid to kill the majestic tusker near Gonarezhou. Ecotourism on private game reserves has been found to generate more than 15 times the income of hunting or cattle ranching (6). As ecotourism brings more money to the economy, it provides jobs for many more people than hunting does. It also incentivizes the neighbouring communities to protect rather than poach the animals much more effectively than the hunting permits.

A case in point is Lewa Wildlife Conservancy in Kenya. It is one of the biggest employers in the province, with 200 full-time staff, 50 to 100 part-time staff and an additional 150 people employed in tourism enterprises. It supports and builds primary schools, clinics, and local self-help groups. It invites children to visit the conservancy and learn about conservation (6).

A former hunting area in Botswana, Selinda Reserve, has seen a spectacular increase in wildlife and an increase in revenue to government and its people of 1,300% since it was converted to only photographic tourism. Instead of 10 or 12 jobs under hunting, now 180 people are employed full time. In Botswana, ecotourism is the largest employer in the northern districts and hires 40% of the working population (7).

In the case of Rwanda too, rather than selling hunting permits it now sells expensive ecotourism permits, enabling tourists to hike into the gorillas habitat with expert guides and porters. Gorillas have become Rwanda’s No. 1 tourist attraction, and tourism is commonly said to be the country’s No. 1 industry. The ecotourism fees are paying for modern schools and electricity in the villages at the entrance to the national park where the gorillas live. And the gorilla population is growing (8).

Zimbabwe has enormous potential for ecotourism that would far outweigh the revenues from trophy hunting. It’s too late for majestic Cecil and the gentle giant tusker, but it is time for your country to stop putting prices on its dwindling animals’ heads and instead focus on turning all hunting areas into ecotourism areas. Now is a good opportunity to take advantage of the publicity surrounding Cecil and the tusker to regain your country's glow in the eyes of the world and many potential tourists.

Yours sincerely,

All signatories to this petition.

References

1. Ashifa Kassam and Jessica Glenza, Killer of Cecil the Lion Was Dentist From Minnesota, Claim Zimbabwe Officials (28 July, 2015), The Guardian http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2015/jul/28/killer-of-cecil-the-lion-was-american-zimbabwe-officials-claim

2. Melanie Hall and Peta Thornycroft, Germany May Block Import of Tusks From Giant Elephant Shot by Hunter in Zimbabwe (22 October, 2015), The Irish Independent
http://www.independent.ie/world-news/africa/germany-may-block-import-of-tusks-from-giant-elephant-shot-by-hunter-in-zimbabwe-34116800.html

3. The International Ecotourism Society (2015) https://www.ecotourism.org/what-is-ecotourism

4. Dereck Joubert, Dereck Joubert Responds to a Hunter on the Economics of Hunting (28 August, 2015), Africa Geographic http://africageographic.com/blog/dereck-joubert-responds-to-a-hunter-on-the-economics-of-hunting/

5. The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust, Dead or Alive: Valuing an Elephant (September 2013),
http://iworry.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/Dead-or-Alive-Final-LR.pdf

6. The Myth of Trophy Hunting as Conservation (2004)
http://www.saveafricananimals.org/attachments/article/136/The_%20Myth_of_Trophy_Hunting_as_Conservation.pdf

7. Dereck Joubert, Hunting Lions For Fun (11 August 2015), Africa Geographic http://africageographic.com/blog/hunting-lions-fun/

8. Jane Meyer, Does Zimbabwe Really Need Trophy Hunting (31 July, 2015), The New Yorker
http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/does-zimbabwe-really-need-trophy-hunting