Dear Mr. JP Louw,

Historically, spotted hyenas roamed the savannas and woodlands of Africa. While they exist in stable numbers in most regions, the number of spotted hyenas in South Africa have declined to a critical number. Around the southern tip of the nation, hyenas have disappeared altogether. This sudden loss is not a natural occurance; it is the result of ruthless habitat destruction and unfair and unwarranted persecution. They have been mercilessly trapped, shot and poisoned in what can only be called genocide.

The spotted hyena is a vital part of the South African ecosystem; as predators they serve a vital role in trimming the herds of buffalo, wildebeest and other herbivores, thus preventing overpopulation and dangerous ecological unbalance. It has been shown in other circumstances that removal of a predator species and the resulting unbalance of animal populations leads to environmental destruction; herbivores, without any form of natural control, overrun the area and overgraze the land, causing the destruction of the soil's fertility, causing water loss, and eventually drastic climate change such as desertification.

We, the undersigned, ask that for the sake of South Africa, the environment, the world and of course the hyenas, that they be reintroduced into regions in which they were previously exterminated, and placed under protection so that this genocide need never happen again.