Demand an end to Trophy Hunting in South Africa!
- by: Emma Hilary Trigg
- recipient: Helen Zille, Premier of the Western Cape and host of the Animal Welfare Summit
This petition asks the public to:
1) Demand that government brings an end to the legally sanctioned animal cruelty that hunting allows
2) Pledges to withdraw all support from such "conservation" and safari groups that promote and profit from hunting
3) Encourage the South African government to promote Ethical Tourism
South Africa has become a nation characterized by its cruelty and oppression during Apartheid, and as the crime, rape and violence capital ever since. However, we want to put South Africa on the map for different reasons this time around: we want South Africa to become a World Leader in the Liberation of Animals from Hunting and to become a champion of Animal Rights.
Hunting is made possible by a small group of stakeholders who put their financial interests above the welfare of animals. This petition aims to show the South African government that WE CARE about these animals, WE OPPOSE this cruelty and WE CALL for Corporate and Government Accountability!
This petition aims to demonstrate to the South African government that We, the Public, are in violent opposition of Trophy Hunting and we demand that legal provisions are made to outlaw this cruel practice and to afford Animals greater protection within our Constitution.
The petition is addressed to Ms. Helen Zille, The Premier of the Western Cape and recent host of the Animal Welfare Summit, and urges her to reconsider the legal status of Hunting in South Africa in light of the great cruelty animals are subjected to as outlined in the petition body.
In addition to signing this petition you can write to Koedoeburg Safari's representative (suppliers of this picture) at wfaul@oldmutualpfa.com to let them know how distasteful you find them and to pledge to never give them business, or better still, get them trending on facebook and twitter #koedoebergcruelty !
Dear Ms Zille,
We, the undersigned, petition you to reconsider the legal status of Hunting within South African law. As a host for the recent Animal Welfare Summit and as the Premier of the Western Cape, we would like to draw your attention to the massive plight that our wildlife faces from hunting.
According to the Constitution of South Africa “We the People of South Africa believe that South Africa belongs to all who live in it, united in our diversity.” It is our concern that the lawmakers of South Africa have failed to provide animals with their fundamental right to protection and guardianship that should be afforded to them under this statute.
Hunting exists as a violent form of recreation that leaves countless animals injured, orphaned and exposed to starvation and predation. Hunting is responsible for the extinction and threatened status of several species globally as well as the disruption of the eco-system and natural breeding patterns.
Every year, hunting claims the lives of hundreds of innocents subjected to legally sanctioned acts of cruelty such as “canned hunting”, whereby an animal is confined to a fenced-in area and shot at, often at close-range, essentially guaranteeing a trophy kill. The animals involved are often conditioned with human contact, having been hand-raised and bottle fed since birth. Such animals will approach people expecting to be nurtured, only to receive the ultimate betrayal. South Africa infamously holds the world record for providing the most lion trophies from canned hunts. Far from going unchallenged, canned hunting continues to be legal in South Africa after the Supreme Court of Appeals ruled in favour of the abhorrent practice in November of 2010.
Another popular practice that I would like to draw your attention to is that of Bow Hunting. Currently it remains legal to bow hunt species such as giraffe, hippos, buffalos and other “non-threatened” animals. Bow hunting involves the use of archery to strike and kill an animal. These animals may never be recovered and routinely endure an agonizing and prolonged death for several days before succumbing to their wounds.
As a post-apartheid nation with what has frequently been deemed to be “the most progressive constitution in the world”, it is unsettling that no Animal Welfare law has been created or amended since the Animal Matters Amendment Act of 1993.
Under the original Animals Protection Act (71) of 1962, any person who “overloads, overdrives, overrides, ill-treats, neglects, infuriates, tortures or maims or cruelly beats, kicks, goads or terrifies any animal” is in violation of the act and is subject to imprisonment, a state-determined fine and the confiscation of his or her animals. Therefore, under these provisions it is unjustifiable that game and trophy hunting is still protected by the law in aid of a tradition that by its very principle targets and abuses the rich diversity South Africa has to offer. By protecting the act of hunting, the law serves to enrich a small group of stakeholders instead of the interests of the vast number of animal and human populations affected by the deplorable cruelty that this practice imposes.
The basis of animal rights lies in its recognition that animals are sentient beings. Sentience implies that animals are capable of sensation and emotion, such as the ability to feel pain and to experience a state of well being. So long as animals in South Africa are not recognized as sentient beings and are instead classed as objects and property by law, they will continue to be exposed to the immeasurable amounts of pain and exploitation that they know today. To quote a wiser man, “If a being suffers there can be no moral justification for refusing to take that suffering into consideration”- Peter Singer.
Therefore, in view of this cruelty we implore you, Ms Zille, to make a public stand against the practice of hunting and to use your political influence to lobby for the greater protection of animal rights and ethical tourism within South Africa, including, but not limited to, the abolition of hunting.
Yours Sincerely,
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