MEDIA RELEASE
Issued by the Professional Hunters’ Association of SA
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it / This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ; www.phasa.co.za
______________________________________________________________________
Pretoria – The president of the Professional Hunters’ Association of South Africa, Mr Eduard Katzke, expressed his dismay at articles in local newspapers about the report of Animal Rights Africa (ARA) entitled “Hunting in South Africa: A bloody mess”. The report was released earlier this week. The report allegedly finds that the R754 million hunting industry is often based on the exploitation of animals and that at least one million animals are hunted annually – mostly for their horns or fur or “simply for fun”. According to the newspaper articles Ms Michele Pickover, spokesperson for ARA, apparently said that ethics in the hunting industry are negligible.   
The perception that ARA is trying to create, namely that hunting is an unlimited form of destruction that will ultimately annihilate our wildlife, is completely unfounded. The use of the term “poaching” and hunting in the same context further proves how ignorant ARA is about the role of the hunting industry in conservation and wildlife management. The contribution of the the hunting industry to conservation, research and training of the previously disadvantaged should not be underestimated. This industry currently provides approximately 70 000 people with job opportunities, mainly in the rural areas. Over the past 3 years PHASA has generated more than R5 million for the training of the previously disadvantaged at the SA Wildlife College in Hoedspruit. In addition, approximately R400 000 has been made available to combat rhino poaching.

The direct financial contribution of hunting associations in South Africa to other conservation initiatives over the past year amounts to almost R3 million while more than R150 000 has been spent on research in the recent past. South Africa undoubtedly is the most popular Southern African destination for foreign hunters. The number of trophy animals hunted by overseas hunters, however, constitutes a small percentage of the animals hunted. The hunting industry can indeed be regarded as a massive economic injection for our country. Equally important, however, is the role of hunting as a wildlife management mechanism. As is the case with all living creatures, game populations are constantly growing and should therefore be managed accordingly.

It is a great pity that ARA selectively chose certain parts from a previous address by former PHASA president, Mr Stewart Dorrington, to create a negative perception of the hunting industry, and more specifically about the game ranching sector.

During the Limpopo Expo in May 2005, Mr Dorrington delivered an address on “The Professional Hunting Industry of South Africa: Past and Future”. In his presentation Mr Dorrington provided the background to the establishment of the professional hunting industry in South Africa and the challenges associated with it. Surely it would have been short-sighted if he hadn’t addressed the mistakes of the past made by both professional hunters and game ranchers. He dealt with specific matters that were pertinent at a time when the industry experienced rapid growth. PHASA definitely realises that the value of private landownership to wildlife in South Africa is often underestimated. Private game ranches today cover an area of about 20 500 000 hectares (16.8%) as opposed to national and provincial parks that jointly cover 7 500 000 hectares (6.1%). In addition, the number of game animals on private property is almost double that of the game in our country’s Parks. Taking into account that there is an estimated 60% more game in South Africa today than in the mid-1900s, the success of private game ranching speaks for itself.

What is not mentioned in the newspaper articles and possibly also not in ARA’s report, is that Mr Dorrington also specifically referred to the positive role and influence of the hunting industry. The facts and figures already mentioned in this media release also emphasise this fact. Subsequently not only particular species benefited from this but also the entire ecosystem and biodiversity.

However, Mr Katzke welcomes ARA’s decision to submit their report to the parliamentary portfolio committee on water and environmental affairs for discussion. PHASA supports the “inclusive process” of our current Government and would therefore appreciate the opportunity to be involved in discussions with the committee about the economic, research and biodiversity role of the hunting industry. Furthermore, PHASA supports ARA’s view that the current nine sets of provincial legislation do not benefit the industry at all. For this exact reason PHASA is also striving to introduce a national professional hunting permit. The association believes that one set of national legislation will be much more effective than the current system of nine sets of provincial legislation plus national legislation, which causes a great deal of confusion.

Enquiries:  
Eduard Katzke (President): 082 804 6676
Adri Kitshoff (CEO): 083 650 0442

___________________________________________________________________