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Polar bear auctions and declining elephant numbers: the trophy hunting industry’s latest scandals

By Tracy - The Canary The trophy hunting lobby group Safari Club International (SCI) attracted media attention in January. This was for auctioning off killing trips for a polar bear and numerous other wild animals at its Las Vegas convention. The coverage was based on a report by the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting. It noted that some of the funds raised from the sales will go towards fighting an impending UK ban on the import of body parts from slain wild animals. A government consultation in recent years overwhelmingly confirmed support among the public for a comprehensive ban on imports....

Psychology of trophy hunting: why some people kill animals for sport

By Geoff Beattie Do you have any desire to stalk and kill an elephant? Probably not, but some relish the idea. Recently the world’s largest trophy hunting convention took place in Las Vegas, organised by Safari Club International, an influential US-based hunting lobby group. Attendees bid in an auction on a trip to hunt and shoot polar bears, with some of the funds raised earmarked to fight UK government plans to ban hunting trophies. The proposed new laws will be some of the toughest in the world, banning imports of dead animal trophies not only from the “big five” most...

South Africa: Beyond its exceptional beauty, Kruger National Park is on the ropes and hurting

By Helena Kriel and Don Pinnock - Daily Maverick The Kruger National Park has a major rhino-poaching crisis, but that’s just one of many mounting problems — and it’s extremely worrying. Crags of ancient rock and twisting rivers, 1,000-year-old trees and a rug of bushveld the size of Israel… it’s been part of South Africa’s DNA for generations. And a way of life. Load the car, strap the kids into the back seat and head for the Lowveld where the roads kick dust, thorn trees tangle and the bush smells of animals and earth. Finally, you’re through the gates: Crocodile Bridge, Orpen or further...

With fewer animals to spread their seeds, plants could have trouble adapting to climate change

By Alejandro Ordonez, Evan Fricke, Haldre Rogers & Jens-Christian Svenning Picture a mature, broad-branched tree like an oak, maple or fig. How does it reproduce so that its offspring don’t grow up in its shadow, fighting for light? The answer is seed dispersal. Plants have evolved many strategies for spreading their seeds away from the parent plant. Some produce seedlings that float on the wind. Others have fruits that actually explode, ejecting their seeds. And more than half of all plants rely on wildlife to disperse their seeds. This typically happens when animals eat...

Commentary

Polar bear auctions and declining elephant numbers: the trophy hunting industry’s latest scandals

Psychology of trophy hunting: why some people kill animals for sport

South Africa: Beyond its exceptional beauty, Kruger National Park is on the ropes and hurting

With fewer animals to spread their seeds, plants could have trouble adapting to climate change

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