Following the illegal killing of an iconic lion, Cecil, outside the Hwange National Park on Antoinette farm in Gwayi River Conservancy on the 1st of July 2015, it has become necessary that the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority further tightens hunting regulations in all areas outside the Parks Estate.
The Authority working with other law enforcement agencies has launched a crackdown to weed out any undesirable elements. To date our law enforcement agencies are following up on all found or reported cases and they have since arrested another culprit, Headman Sibanda, on allegations of breaching hunting regulations. He is currently assisting Police with investigations.
Further to that crackdown the following measures are going to be implemented immediately;
1. Hunting of lions, leopards and elephant in areas outside of Hwange National Parks has been suspended with immediate effect. All such hunts will only be conducted if confirmed and authorized in writing by the Director-General of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, and only if accompanied by parks staff whose costs will be met by the landowner.
2. Bow hunting has been suspended with immediate effect and no such hunting will be conducted unLESS it has been confirmed and authorized in writing by the Director-General of the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority.
3. Members of the hunting fraternity are being reminded that it is illegal for quotas to be transferred from one hunting area to another. Any case of quota transfer is regarded as poaching. The Authority will not hesitate to arrest, prosecute, and ban for life any persons including professional hunters, clients and land owners who are caught on the wrong side of the law.
All players in the hunting industry are being reminded to familiarize themselves with the relevant statutes governing the wildlife industry. Further, the Authority would like to appeal to all members of the public that they should report any SUSPECTED illegal WILDLIFE activities to the nearest offices of Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, Zimbabwe Republic Police and other Government law enforcement agencies.
E. Chidziya
DIRECTOR-GENERAL
The Dentist will be famous from now on whether he knowingly did something illegal or not.
If this is true then years of work for bow hunting is gone overnight.
gobbler's Link
the announcement reads just like the emails from some african 'official' who is trying to sneak millions of dollars(US) out of the country and YOU have been chosen as the beneficiary...
surprised abc hasn't contacted you for a burial quote for a story
I am beyond annoyed that Americans in general are letting the media dictate what they should think is important, and I am also a bit disappointed in how many of my bowhunting brethren are jumping on the bandwagon as well based on the medias biased reporting of the incident.
gobbler's Link
My feeling here is the money will open the doors back up once they see we (hopefully) cannot be shaken down for our lunch money and the effect on the local officials more than anything takes it's toll.
In a country were graft and corruption is a large part of their GDP..... they will miss the high roller hunter who can be shaken down at border crossings and airports. Or scammed on misrepresented hunts.
We shall see if the economic aspect of big game hunting helps keep the doors open, or the opposite happens.
Who benefits, and what changes if we get word today that the lion was legally killed on proper land with proper documentation, it was not lured off the preserve, it died within 5 minutes of the shot, and all the other allegations were false. In fact the only thing that is the same in both that new reality and the original story of lies was that the lion is dead.
it only matters to a few people (Palmer and the guys he contracted with). He now, from a legla perspective be "safe". He is still a pariah and his business and life are otherwise trashed, but he is safe legally.
Other than that it matters not to anyone else. The damage is done, the martyr-cat has served it's purpose, hunting has been vilified, etc.
No anti-hunter has ever said i support legal hunting it is the illegal stuff that i vehemently oppose.
Damage done.
That's been the point since this first came out. One careless quest for a "trophy" from someone who obviously didn't cover their bases and we are all "dinged" . This will pass, but with long term consequences. Shame.
"Ban" has an implication of permanence whereas "suspension" has an implication of being temporary. The press release uses the word "ban" in another context, so I think it would be an error to suggest we should consider them as synonymous. Moreover, the suspension of bowhunting has a qualifier which could mean it will be broadly confirmed/authorized by the relevant parties for all we know - although I doubt that will be the case for hunts for the big cats.
IMO this press release is the Zimbabwe government pandering to non-consumptive users in a way that would give them the "out" to quietly go about business as usual once the outrage has passed - which will probably happen as soon as a Kardashian has a nip slip or pops (Caitlyn) crashes a car again.
Does this suspend xbows too???...8^) (That was a joke)
In all seriousness, ever since this fiasco began, I keep reading were this lion was shot with a crossbow, but every hero picture I see of Dr. Palmer he is holding a compound... Do we know for sure what type weapon he was shooting?
I read the comments on several articles about this situation, and it is unsettling to find that the majority is ready to hang the hunter - literally, it seems as if given the chance, many would truly, crucify, or hang him.
BPM seemingly came to his aid here, and many seemed to harshly reply to him as well.
Bottomline is, if the hunter knowingly did something wrong, then by all means, a punishment is necessary. However, I have been fortunate enough to hunt in Africa, and once in Zimbabwe, and I rarely knew where I was, or what permits were in hand. Unless I questioned the PH, and they told me, what I could only believe was the truth. But had the PH lied to the hunter in this situation, how could the ramifications of any illegal activity remotely lie on his behalf?
Some non-hunters also mention the collar. Several have lamented that they could have easily seen this collar even though they aren't hunters. But from what I understand, the shot was at night - which from what I understood was legal - so spotting a collar of any color other than reflective fluorescent could easily be overlooked, though I am uncertain if that would even matter if the hunt was conducted on legal property and with legal license.
One article even went so far as to question why a dentist is able to make enough money to be able to afford such a hunt. Coming from a VERY working class person, I think if a person can make oodles of money, then more power to them. Unfortunately we live in a world where the same person who complains about this person who is/has been working hard, for many years, along with accruing an abundance of education, and keeping several other employees going for a number of years, are the first to pay for a ball game ticket to support the overpaid athletes that really do not much more than showcase their God-given talent.
Regardless, as has been mentioned, this situation has grown out of hand, whether legal or not. But if it were all perfectly legal, this has really gotten out of hand, and various aspects will never be rectified.
This situation is truly sad for all involved. Hopefully the plight of the hunter will be resolved and he will be able to trudge forward without too much damage to his reputation and business.
Offered as an example: If I am with a professional outfitter in Alaska and he tells me to shoot a sheep which turns out to be in a GMU or zone we shouldn't be in...should I be held in any way responsible?
If I shoot a moose on the assurances of my guide that it is a legal moose in all respects, and if it turns out to somehow be an illegal kill...will I be prosecuted? "He told me it was over 50 inches..."
I think we might all be shocked if we really understood the risks we take when putting our lives and reputations in the hands of an outfitter. A bad one can ruin your life, at least in the short term. The good ones are there, too...thank heaven for that.
I want to set the record straight if the topic comes up, and I don't expect the media to be much help. The best link would be a retraction from a news outlet that originally stated that laws were broken.
Again I'll ask - But was it wounded first by a bolt or arrow?
No one can bowhunt or hunt dangerous game around the park without first paying the director $5,000 under the table. Then he will smile and let you hunt.
Thought you guys would have been able to read through the lines!
It's Africa where everything is illegal until it isn't.
Seems you aren't going to wait to see if he broke any laws before passing judgment either...
If he broke any laws then he needs to suffer the consequences, but don't for one second think this has anything to do with Dr Palmer
michael
