South African hunting outfitters are eagerly awaiting the end of the Zambian rainy season in April to start a killing-spree of up to 1250 hippopotamus living in the world-renowned Luangwa Valley.
The controversial hunt was approved again by Zambia’s Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW). The ‘cull’ has been suspended a number of times since 2015, as not only international conservation authorities but also Zambia’s own scientific research advise against it, noting that previous culls have only served to increase the population growth rate.
Opposition also comes from Chiefs and the local community where the cull is due to take place, as well as local safari operators who fear a tourism backlash against the impending mass-slaughter. Yet Zambian Government persists in rationalizing the killing spree afresh each year.
“The justifications for this cull – which is being openly marketed to paying trophy hunters – are like a sea of shifting sand,” says Born Free president, Will Travers. “Originally, it was to prevent an outbreak of anthrax. Then it was because the water levels in the Luangwa River were precariously low. Now it is because there is a perceived hippo over-population. None of these “justifications “stand up to scrutiny.”
Financial gain remains the biggest drawcard, Travers says. “Hippo lives are on the line in order to line the pockets of a few hunting operators and government officials.”