Trophy hunting here to stay

Trophy hunting generates millions of dollars for the economy, and without it, conservancies in Namibia will not be able to exist. This was the message of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, to the Adventure Travel World Summit currently taking place in Swakopmund. Nandi-Ndaitwah is a former minister of environment of tourism. Delegates gave her a standing ovation after her inspiring message of conservation in Namibia. Nandi-Ndaitwah said she is aware that there are people and countries in the world that have a problem with trophy hunting in Namibia. These remarks follows after the recent reports that a group called the Dallas Safari Club is auctioning off the chance for one hunter to shoot an endangered black rhino in Namibia. The club claims that all proceeds from the hunt will support rhino, conservation. The announcement has sparked criticism around the world. Nandi-Ndaitwah said if there is no trophy hunting in Namibia there could just as well not be any conservancies. “If people live with wildlife and there is no benefit for them, these animals will become a nuisance. Trophy hunting is a part of our conservation programme and we cannot shy away from this. Conservation will die if we cut out trophy hunting in Namibia,” she said. The minister stressed that a remarkable wildlife recovery story has occurred in Namibia and the country is the only one in the world that is translocating black rhino out of national parks into communal areas. According to her, Namibia has the largest black rhino population in the world. CITES has granted Namibia an annual export quota of up to five hunted black rhino. It is expected that that the permit auctioned by Dallas Safari Club will sell for at least US$250 000 (N$2.5 million) to US$1 million (N$10 million). According to a release from the club, Namibia has never before sold a black rhino hunting permit directly to an overseas hunting club. Typically the five Namibian permits that are issued each year are sold to local hunting operators, who then book clients from around the world. In recent years, however, Americans have not been able to import black rhino trophies into the United States. This has limited the interest from that country. The Fish and Wildlife Service is set to grant an exemption to the Dallas Safari Club. Nandi-Ndaitwah said that she will continue to fight to allow hunting trophies to be taken to America. SWAKOPMUND ELLANIE SMIT