STOP THE LEGAL CULLING OF 900,000 JACKALS AND CARACALS IN SOUTH AFRICA !

  • by: Mino Carniel
  • recipient: CAPE NATURE AND AGRICULTURAL LOBBY IN THE WESTERN CAPE

License to kill: legal culling of 900 000 jackals and caracals in Cape

In 2011, members of the agricultural lobby in the Western Cape were legally permitted to kill just short of 900 000 jackals and caracals. That is more than its combined population. Issued as a means to control the problem of livestock loss, it’s a decision that could wipe out the Cape’s mid-level predator group entirely and result in the collapse of an ecosystem.

Jackals and caracals legally killed

The authorisation to have jackals and caracals legally killed in 2011 was, in essence, an order to kill the highest number of an indigenous species recorded in Africa’s history. Each permit holder was permitted to kill five caracals and five jackals a day for 183 consecutive days. This adds up to a stupendous 894 250 individual kills. The Landmark Foundation, an organisation that strives to protect Southern Africa’s conservation economy, has called CapeNature out, arguing that it ‘orders the destruction of so many of these species, [while it] carries a mandate to protect our biodiversity! [and is] nothing short of a dereliction of duty.’

The permits distributed also broke conservation boundaries with regard to the nature of the execution of the jackals and caracals. In addition to authorising the death of more jackals and caracals than actually exist in the area, permit holders were allowed the use of highly unethical, taboo hunting practices that go against any conservationist’s moral compass. Call-and-shoot methods have been used whereby hunters purposefully call the animals out of hiding before shooting them; trained hunting dogs have been used to sniff out the predators; helicopters and artificial lights have been used on night hunts; and gin traps (banned in over 90 countries for its inhumane nature) are used and often referred to by farmers as the most effective method

Gin traps (renamed ‘soft traps’, although there is nothing soft about their function) snap closed over whichever body part its victim has unwittingly placed into its metal jaws. The animal rarely dies straight away. If it is lucky, its paw may been cut clean off and it is able to limp away with a chance of survival, but most often it remains trapped and injured, ultimately dying of dehydration. ‘Soft traps’ are also responsible for 10 to 20 times more deaths than they are intended for. There is no control over which animals stumble across these metal snap-traps, and for every jackal or caracal that is caught, at least 10 other species see their unintended deaths. Members of the agricultural lobby interviewed in the video below clearly state that ‘soft traps’ are vital items in farmers’ toolkits.

Culling approved for 2014

The culling license has been approved for 2014, meaning that the indigenous predators (and innocent bystanders) have been threatened with yet another year of uncontrolled, unethical deaths. The knock-on effect of taking out such important species will see the end of our cherished biodiversity, and the undoing of nature’s delicate balance.

Sign Petition
Sign Petition
You have JavaScript disabled. Without it, our site might not function properly.

Privacy Policy

By signing, you accept Care2's Terms of Service.
You can unsub at any time here.

Having problems signing this? Let us know.