GOVERNMENT has defended the lifting of the ban on hunting big cats in Zambia saying the population of the cats will reduce significantly.
Tourism and Arts Minister Jean Kapata said the lifting of the ban follows the government’s introduction of stringent measures to guide the hunting process.
Ms Kapata said before 2013, the laws that were guiding the hunting process were inadequate to protect the cats but now it will be easy to regulate the process and only allow for few cats to be killed.
“Before 2013, the process was not good but now we have strengthened the regulations that guide the hunting process in the hunting blocks,” she said.
The minister said people should not worry that the big cats such as lions will be depleted after the lifting of the ban.
“Previously, hunters were allowed five cats in the hunting block but now we are not allowing more than two cats per person,” she explained.
Ms Kapata further said that currently only 46 cats will be killed in the 23 hunting blocks as only two will be allowed per hunting season.
Meanwhile, Lion Aid has appealed to the European Union (EU) to place a ban on Zambia’s lion hunting imports as Zambia cannot justify commercial off take based on the country’s paltry remaining lion populations.
The organisation says it will also contact USA authorities to do the same “LionAid will now undertake an appeal to the European Union to place a ban on Zambia lion hunting imports as Zambia cannot justify commercial off take based on their paltry remaining lion populations,” the statement said.
LionAid are the United Kingdom (UK) charity working globally to save lions and end the decline of wild lion populations.
The organisation added that it estimate there are not more than 400 lions left in Zambia.
Forex yavuta, come on guys it’s them or us. Lions or our economy. Besides we don’t have time to visit these lions.
Jean Kapata says we can kill 2 lions from each of the 23 hunting zones, that is 46 lions to killed each year. She is not telling us how many lions will die of natural causes and how many lions cubs will be born. PF has killed the economy , now they want to kill our lions. Let us now allow them
This Minister is very Dull, Typical of the swallow minded Ministers as there appointments are not Guinean. She has no facts and does not seem to understand her grounds.
Let EU & USA put a Ban on Zambia. Enough with this nonsense. These are people who can not even manage Mundawanga Zoo. If you want economical Growth we have others means..
Disgusting to read such rubbish coming from a minister..
Kill them
Thanks
BB2014
HH has issued a press statement ba lusakatimes. We want to read it kaili. Ninshi? when HH is on the right, you dont want to publish it fearing ati he will gain votes from your readership here? You go and publish what some charity small thing in UK has to say, but refuse to publish what the Opposition is saying right here in zambia? yashani ba lusakatimes. Poseniko amano!!! We know you are PF, but please report fairly and not only when you want ukumweneshamo HH do you cover him!!!
Seriously what did our Edgar Lazy Lungu learn from his one week holiday in Mfuwe…apart from where the bars and liquor fridge were located?
Expel all foreign tour operators. They are the ones advocating and getting rich from this foolish policy. Jean Kapata should be jailed for her role.
I ALWAYS WONDER WHY STUPID DECISIONS ARE EASILY REACHED AND MADE BY OUR ZAMBIAN MINISTERS. THIS IS THE STUPIDEST AND EMPTIEST EXPLANATION I AM EVER READING FROM THIS JOKE OF A MINISTER. THERE’S NO ECONOMIC VALUE WHATSOEVER IN KILLING WHATEVER NUMBER LION THAN JUST FOOLISHNESS. THIS IS THE DULLEST MINISTER IN ZAMBIA AT PRESENT. IN FACT HE/SHE MUST BE REMOVED FROM THE MINISTERIAL POSITION BEFORE HE/SHE CONTINUES MAKING THIS DUNDERHEAD DECISIONS. I HAVE GOT NO WORDS BUT TO SAY THIS MINISTER IS REALLY DULL AND STUP!D AND MUST BE KICKED OUT IMMEDIATELY BEFORE THIS FOOLISHNESS BECOMES CONTAGIOUS AMONGST OTHER MINISTERS.
You do not need to write in all caps. Use the normal way of writing. Where did you go for school. How you write tell loads about your education and reasoning.
We are not grade ones.
What a stupid justification.
In fact that is not even a justification.
Can you for once listen to the voice of reason and do something right for the sake of humanity.
The utterly dull woman keeps changing her statements with every interview she give as she has no justifiable cause for trophy-hunting…its skin cringing to say the least. We can make more money from attracting visitors to shoot with cameras than from the rich local Asian and foreign trophy hunters.
PURELLY ANTHROPOCENTRIC MIS-INTERPRETED CHRISTIANIAN MENTARITY. ANIMALS NEVER VOTED FOR YOU SO YOU HAVE NO MANDATE TO INTERVANE IN THEIR SURVIVAL. YOUR DUTY IF ANY IS TO PROTECT THE ANIMALS AND ENSURE THAT YOUR FELLOW HUMAN BEINGS ARE EDUCATED ON HOW TO RESPECT AND CARE FOR NATURE.
GOD GAVE YOU THE MANDATE TO PROTECT AND SAVE OTHER LIVING THINGS IN THE ENVIRONMENT NOT TO EXPLOIT THEM FOR FUN. YOU ARE STEWARDS OF NATURE IN THE EYES OF GOD.
PLEASE MADAM MINISTER AND YOUR BOSS ACT RESPOSIBLY BY SAVING THE FEW REMAINING LIONS AND ALLOW NATURE TO TAKE ITS COURSE BEYOND YOUR GREED INTERVATION. GOD WILL JUDGE YOU FOR BAD DECISION ON HIS CREATION.
That is why ALL well-meaning zambians must sign the Petition on Change.org or via Facebook and spread the word! This sh!t MUST BE STOPPED !
Pardon my ignorance, what’s the purpose of killing the lions? Is the lion meat edible? Or is it for the purpose of selling things by-products like skin/leather, teeth etc?
@The Chosen one….its for sports. The lion is like a trophy. More like hunting or killing just for the sake of it. If the lion meat was edible I would understand. But put simply the lions will be shot and a selfie posted on facebook or instagram saying look…I’m standing next to a dead lion which I shot with my rifle. If they truly want to attract more tourists why not reduce the costs of tourism pa zed. Staying at a hotel or lodge is very expensive. They charge Western prices instead of charging what a well to do Zambian would afford to pay for such luxuries. We need to wake up.
@JAY JAY.
Lions are hunted as animal game trophies. Only vital parts such as skin and nails are shipped to overseas.
A replica of the same animal is the molded by taxidermist.
Very strange.
I think we need to find other ways of generating forex
This Ms Kapata is one very dull minister and she is a dame right embarrassment every-time she opens her silly mouth…what is the number of cats in the wild at present? Do you know how long a lion takes to mature? In 2013 Masebo told us the numbers of cats was too low whats changed? Is it supposed to make us feel better when these wealthy grotesque trophy hunters were previously allowed five cats in the hunting block as opposed allowing more than two cats per person what’s stopping a whole family of hunters to hunt two each? What is the cost benefit of this scheme as opposed to sustainable tourism? You have lamentably failed to promote and attract tourists..you come up with lame lazy ideas.
Surely what benefit is there shooting and killing an animal then hanging it on your wall.
Hunting licenses are expensive. This is a way for govt to earn money.
@CNP
A hunting license for Lions costs about $25000; where is this money going…do you know how long it takes for a male lion to mature..are we that broke that we can not raise money from other revenue streams? This gov’t has lamentably failed to fairly tax the mines who are siphoning billions of dollars via transfer pricing schemes…you have a president who is proudly opening a RSA owned shopping mall with mainly SA tenants selling mainly SA farm produce and products..if we are that broke increase tax on these products and encourage these SA retailers to buy local
A Texan trophy hunter paid $350,000 to shoot a rare male black rhino in Nambia with his high powered rifle…for what benefit? A sport..So he can brag about it at his bar to his friends…
Wake up and use your brain!!
Jean Kapata has always impressed but this time around she has failed lamentably. She claims the law does not allow for more than 2 cats per hunter so if I use simple arithmetic here, if 10 hunters go on a hunt on the same day, the number of lions that will be killed is 20….. This is utter rubbish! doesn’t make sense at all!
How has Jean always impressed you in that ministry? If these people were managers in a corporation they would all be sacked as they are not worthy to manage anything.
Game cropping is everywhere. The Minister is talking about hunting cats not only Lions. Cats include leopards, Tigers, and Cheetas (if at all we have them in Zambia).
One of the reasons for cropping cats is that if they exceed a certain number, they become a threat to the animal population in that game park. They can actually contribute to extinction of certain animal species hence the need to control their numbers. They will even start attacking people leaving near game parks.
What is important is for the gvt to control the hunting of these animals by considering breeding patterns of these cats in a particular locations and I am sure the Minister is clear on this one.
Why is the opposition silent on this issue? This when you need to speak so we know if you would have done any differently..everything about the ministers statements is wrong wrong wrong wrong with no figures to backup her statements.. just like they were wrong about mining in a game park…even people abroad are laughing at us.
In this day and age surely how can one justify trophy hunting…how can one very dull politician wield so much power and say in our natural resources…this is everything that is wrong with our flawed system of governance.
Lusaka Times finds it hard to cover the opposition. For them, everything is PF. Go to Zambia Watchdog and see what HH has written on this issue of lions.
Controlled game hunting can be a serious foreign exchange earner.
Sadly CATS are on the list of CITES (the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora)
Certain countries do not allow taxidermy at all.
Only certain states in the US allow Animal Game trophies.
How much does Zambia charge for game-hunting?
THANK YOU LION AID FOR TAKING UP THAT BOLD MOVE TO CHALLENGE THESE SELFISH POLITICIANS LIKE THE ILLITERATE JEAN KAPATA. THESE GUYS JUST WANT TO PUT BLOODY MONEY INTO THEIR POCKETS. NOW THEY SAY WE HAVE ADEQUATE CATS POPULATION, BUT JUST TOMORROW THEY WILL SING A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT SONG.
And why am l not surprised? It was clear that all that govt wanted was to get their own people to be the ones benefiting from this industry. If the revenue collected was properly managed and accounted for this country would have some serious resource through game but alas!
Big-cat trophy hunting is regarded by many as primitive in this day and age.
So why would a country like Zambia lift the ban on the shooting and killing of its precious lion and leopard populations?
The answer is very clear – it is the need for foreign currency in order to fund sustainable wildlife programmes, which can be costly, and also to benefit local communities.
Trophy hunting is a multi-million dollar industry – a licence to shoot a lion can cost up to $25,000 (£15,000) in neighbouring countries.
Zambia’s economy was built on the back of copper mining but now commodities are on a cyclical downward spiral. Consequently the country’s currency, the kwacha, has lost a substantial amount of its value.
For this small country, tourism is another way of bringing in foreign currency.
The amount of money that could potentially come in from this is relatively small–and who knows what pockets it will fall into. Meanwhile, tourists will be less likely to come to a country where this is now allowed.
Animals and the economy is not an either-or, it’s complementary if done smart. This is not smart. Zambia’s cat population is not big enough to absorb the measure, and I don’t trust government safeguards to regulate limited hunting. This is simply a short-sided approach to bring in foreign currency without considering the larger picture or creative options to attract lasting and sustainable foreign investment.
You seem to contradict yourself here. Yes, all hunting is primitive, but also $25,000 dollars per cat is too small and too insignificant to sacrifice an endangered species for. That amount is what a single minister blows up in fake & useless travels, water, phone and electric bills. I offer you these as alternative ways to raise (save) money than deplete the precious wild environment.
We have already said that Kapata’s claims are not backed by any statistics from our technocrats. Kapata is a Nurse and not even a registred nurce, what does she know about the breeding of these CATs, nothing. She is only surrounded by the hungry wolves of PF whose coffers are dry and think this would be the easiest source of money to complete the numerous projects started by the late SATA. These are just a group of non reliable people who want to woe people to believe that they are working and yet they are just amassing a lot of debts for the next generations. PF should learn to live with what it has and can manage. We are sad that even the so called Minister of Finance is busy misleading the President. SATA used to be bitter with this Minister of Finance because of hiding information.
Baaba you ought to understand that Ministers do not just make statements without consulting technocrats, especially on technical matters like this one. Most of you seem to be arguing from uninformed points of view, you need to understand the simple principles of sustainable development/ conservation in order for you to fully appreciate why the ban was lifted. There is what is known as the Triple Bottom Line in sustainable development/ tourism which consists of the 3 Ps- People , Profits, Planet. You can not promote one at the expense of the other. Conservation costs money and in this case for ZAWA to conserve the same lions you are worried about they will need money. This decision was informed by a well thought out analysis and research/ population survey of lions by ZAWA. Be objective.
Zambia is eyeing tourism as an alternative to the mine driven economy. And you give that to Kapata? A cadre, with no credentials in business, management or even economics? A mere noise maker who could hardly make statistical judgement or even relate environment (clean) to tourism! Are kidding me? Does it have to take a European NGO to see the wrong that Kapata ( & the bunch of corrupt nincompoops) should have seen first?
One wonders what our so called President in the name of Edgar learnt from his one week holiday in Mfuwe a couple of months ago about importance of wildlife.
Considering the silly justifications by our dear Minister, I think it would make more economic sense to just legalise marijuana and let the animals live.
This move is totally repulsive. It should be voted down by the public. This sport is barbaric. It should be banned world-wide. Period.
Just because humans hold the upper hand does give them the right to hunt down animals for sport.
Imagine if tables were turned. We should just thank God we were born human, and try and maintain that which we found on this planet.
These quotas can never be enforced. All it takes is for the hunter to bribe his guides 100 US Dollars to look the other way. And then a few more lions (unrecorded) are killed.
This is what happens when you have a dull president.
Sata was clever. That is why he banned this sport in Zambia.
Do not mess with our wildlife Lungu, it is the only thing our children can depend on in the future.
Why can’t this minister offer PF cadres to be hunted?
After all, they are a danger, not endangered, so please hunt as many as you want. No quotas needed.
It appears the govt is really broke and any means to raise funds finds some sort of justification. I shudder to think what next is coming!
What is all the noise about. If the same government people keep insulting did not ban the same killing the the first place, I wonder what the 12 geniuses above me will be discussing. The problem we have in this country is we are too intelligent for nothing just sitting on our back side and waiting for something to criticize. Do some work for once!
For once use your brain and take off your political tinted glasses…Only when you start taking holidays to RSA with your children to see leopards and lions in Boer owned Private Game reserves will it sink in your thick skull…when its too late…remember the story of the Liuwa Plain National Park’s lone Lioness?
How can you hunt an elusive creature like the leopard (and Lion) when you don’t even know the actual numbers of animals on the ground?
Wake up!!
You wonder what truly Pioneers of wildlife conservation would make of this like Julius K. Nyerere (not KK who is a compromised Statesman) of such myopic leaders in PF.
Here is his speech;
“The survival of our wildlife is a matter of grave concern to all of us in Africa. These wild creatures amid the wild places they inhabit are not only important as a source of wonder and inspiration, but are an integral part of our natural resources and our future livelihood and well being.
In accepting the trusteeship of our wildlife we solemnly declare that we will do everything in our power to make sure that our children’s grand-children will be able to enjoy this rich and precious inheritance.
cont’d
The conservation of wildlife and wild places calls for specialist knowledge, trained manpower and money, and we look to other nations to co-operate with us in this important task – the success or failure of which not only affects the continent of Africa but the rest of the world as well.”
Julius K. Nyerere, Arusha Manifesto, 1961
BBC
So why would a country like Zambia lift the ban on the shooting and killing of its precious lion and leopard populations?
The answer is very clear – it is the need for foreign currency in order to fund sustainable wildlife programmes, which can be costly, and also to benefit local communities.
Trophy hunting is a multi-million dollar industry – a licence to shoot a lion can cost up to $25,000 (£15,000) in neighbouring countries.
Zambia’s economy was built on the back of copper mining but now commodities are on a cyclical downward spiral. Consequently the country’s currency, the kwacha, has lost a substantial amount of its value.
For this small country, tourism is another way of bringing in foreign currency.
There is no doubt that the beautiful banks of the…
There is no doubt that the beautiful banks of the Zambezi river in Livingstone and the Victoria Falls are still a draw card for international tourists but take a closer look at the numbers and it soon becomes clear that trophy hunters bring the lion’s share of the greenback.
Different cats
Zambia’s country director of the World Wildlife Fund Nyambe Nyambe told me that when the ban was initially announced back in 2013 “there were not enough monitoring systems in place”.
The government lifted the ban following expert recommendations which suggested that hunting resumption would “assist communities in affected areas with access to financial benefits”, he said.
Mr Nyambe also explained that “concerns about the big cats conservation led to the ban in the first place and there is…
I am sure most of you attacking government have read the above story from BBC but as per your tradition you think it is an opportunity to de campaign the government. Unfortunately for you many people see through you fake concerns for Zambia.
@Ndanje Khaks, what we see through is your cretinism. Your dull minister says we have 4000 lions, experts say we have 1100 and Lion Aid says we have 400. And you Khaks support the moronic idea to kill lions, really! Whats wrong with you man?
Do not worry about these frustrated UPND cadres that have flooded the Internet. They are just simple Tonga Kachemaz and so tribal to see anything good out of us who are working and eating well. They are so childish and will condemn the government even if tomorrow the government ban the killing of the very cats. Their leader HH just wait and looks for something to yap about. Even for example last week when the civil savants were not paid, he found something to say forgetting that paying before the 30th is out of goodwill not a right or anything. Fimashilufye ifibaTonga ifi. They will never rule.
@21.1?Obatala Lungulitis: No need to show anger. I am not defending figures here since I don’t live with lions to know how many they are. I am looking at the principle behind the exercise. What ever experts you Mr Obatala you will only pick on the negatives. In any case you have only seen faults in other parties except Upnd. The BBC report has given both sides of effects of this exercise .
Mr. Khaks, today I asked a bunch of first graders if they would support the killing of Lions…they were all against answers they gave were more reasonable and convincing than this partisan crap you are writing about.You must live in the iron age that you can gladly come on a public forum to expose your ignorance not knowing that there are scientific methods to determine numbers of animals in the game parks..
Big-cat trophy hunting is regarded by many as primitive in this day and age.
So why would a country like Zambia lift the ban on the shooting and killing of its precious lion and leopard populations?
The answer is very clear – it is the need for foreign currency in order to fund sustainable wildlife programmes, which can be costly, and also to benefit local communities.
Trophy hunting is a multi-million dollar industry – a licence to shoot a lion can cost up to $25,000 (£15,000) in neighbouring countries.
Zambia’s economy was built on the back of copper mining but now commodities are on a cyclical downward spiral. Consequently the country’s currency, the kwacha, has lost a substantial amount of its value.
For this small country, tourism is another way of bringing in foreign currency…
I’M A PF MEMBER BUT DON’T SUPPORT LION HUNTING.THIS MINISTER CAN JUST BE A DEPUTY OR MINISTER OF COMMUNITY OR GENDER.SHE CAN’T UNDERSTAND ANYTHING BCOZ OF HER LACK OF EDUCATION.SHE IS A NURSE AND CAN’T UNDERSTAND ANIMALS VERY WELL.IT’S TRUE IN ZAMBIA THERE ARE LESS THAN 400 LIONS LEFT.IF U CAN 40 IN A YEAR AND OTHERS DYING WITH NATURAL DEATH.HOW MANY CAN U REMAIN WITH?DOES GOVT KNOW THE NUMBER OF LIONESSES ?KIKIKI I’M SO WORRIED THAT WE HAVE DULL MINISTERS IN PF.GOD HELP BA LUNGU OTHERWISE ZAMBIA CAN BE SOLD.yaba
Only 46 cats will be killed in the 23 hunting blocks so she says. 46 multiplied by a $25,000 licence fee only amounts to $1,150,000. Is this worth the loss of these animals when just one contractor can swindle more money from the government through rampant corruption. Besides, the numbers given by Kapata are being disputed by more credible sources. I smell a rat here.This government is clueless. It doesn’t care for the people and the country at large. It is similar to the recent withholding tax on rentals where it is common knowledge that so many pensioners and jobless people depend on rentals for survival. 2016 people should vote wisely before we perish at the hands of these visionless PF fellows.
What would be best is to get the correct figures from ZAWA (is it?) instead saying experts (which experts, anyway?) say it’s 1,100.00, Lion Aid has 400 and the minister 4,000. Otherwise you’ll just spend the whole day with cho chise cho chise tantrums on this site!
Besides, these animals will still die of natural causes, and the hunting is controlled. Above all it brings revenue to the nation and in particular the communities living around the hunting blocks.
Here we are undivided amongst ourselves talking about the fate of our lions when the Europeans, Canadians, Braizilians and Americans are always united when they refuse to allow anyone to hunt their pumas, jaguars, lynx, wolves & bears.
Just like in the days of slavery, it isthe greed of a few selfish Africans that will bring misery upon put the entire continent.What a shame!
I wish to admit, I do not like killing animals for mere fun. If they are killed for food in a controlled way, no problem. But shooting big animals like a lion for fun, makes me feel sad.
I can only support this is human life is in danger by these animals and are being cropped for that reason.
We need to petition this nonsense