SAN JOSE, Costa Rica—This year, Humane Society International/Latin America has conducted three comprehensive trainings for Costa Rican authorities on how to properly handle wildlife either seized or rescued in police and judicial operations. According to the Judicial Police’s Specialized Section against Environmental Crimes, between 2022 and 2023, 534 wild animals were seized in Costa Rica.
These workshops are part of the “Improving Costa Rica’s capacity to combat wildlife trafficking” project, funded by the U.S. Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs and administered by Humane Society International in coordination with Costa Rica’s National Environmental Security Commission.
During the workshops, public officials learned how to properly handle seized or rescued wildlife, how to protect people involved in confiscation processes and how to feed and transport wild animals. They also learned about a new online guidebook designed to help enforcement officers identify different species and to provide them with information on legal protections, conservation status and handling techniques for different animals.
“For the Attorney General’s Office, ongoing training and inter-institutional coordination are key to environmental law enforcement. Knowing how to properly manage seized wild animals, their products and by-products, is the best way to guarantee, first, protection of these public domain assets and, second, appropriate sanctions for people who are illegally hunting and trafficking them,” said Jose Pablo Gonzalez, deputy environmental prosecutor and national environmental security commission coordinator for the Costa Rica Attorney General’s Office.
“The majority of wild animals seized or rescued in police and judicial operations have experienced captivity, stress and abuse. That is why at HSI we seek to support law enforcement authorities so that they are prepared to handle these animals in a humane and safe way, not only thinking about the animals themselves but also the safety and wellbeing of the people involved”, said Andrea Borel, executive director of HSI/Latin America.
Officials from the Ministry of Public Security (police force, national coast guard service, border police and air control) attended the workshops, as well as officials from the Ministry of Environment and Energy (the National System of Conservation Areas, the National Commission for Biodiversity and the Administrative Environmental Tribunal), the National Animal Health Service (SENASA), the Judicial Investigation Agency (OIJ) and the Attorney General’s Office.
Keeping lions and other big cats as pets must be made illegal in South Africa, says Humane Society International/Africa
Humane Society International / Africa
Kobus Tollig/Kobus Tollig Production
CAPE TOWN—A four-month-old lion cub named Pi, who was rescued from an illegal pet owner in Lebanon, has been safely relocated to his new forever home at a true sanctuary in South Africa. Distressing social media videos surfaced in March 2024 showing the cub being exploited for selfies and petting in the streets of Lebanon. Pi was shown being kept chained up in poor conditions with his mouth taped shut. In a globally coordinated effort, he was rescued by local group Animals Lebanon, his flight to South Africa funded by Humane Society International to be received by Drakenstein Lion Park just outside of Cape Town which has offered him lifetime sanctuary. HSI previously partnered with Animals Lebanon in 2020 to rescue animals following a chemical explosion in Beirut.
Despite the private ownership of lions as pets being illegal in Lebanon, the practice is rampant, with big cats being smuggled in from neighbouring countries to feed the trade. Pi is the third captive lion cub to have been confiscated in Lebanon and brought to the sanctuary in South Africa in the past six months; cubs Issam and Kelly also found their forever homes at Drakenstein Lion Park.
This third rehoming occurs just as South Africa’s highest levels of government unanimously approved a landmark decision to close down the captive lion breeding industry, as well as intensive breeding and management of other species such as rhinos. This is a significant policy shift and one that HSI/Africa and its partners have campaigned on for years. The intensive captive breeding of lions in South Africa mostly sustains two activities after the cubs are too big for tourist interactions: canned lion hunting—a practice of breeding lions to be shot in enclosures by wealthy hunters—and/or a grisly global trade in lion bones and skeletons.
According to a government-commissioned Report there are an estimated 7,800 lions kept in more than 342 captive facilities across South Africa, breeding wild animals like commodities for commercial trade purposes, with no conservation value. HSI/Africa has welcomed the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment’s Policy Position to end captive lion breeding but says the plan has some glaring omissions that need to be addressed. The Policy currently fails to prohibit the keeping of big cats as pets and/or for interactive experiences like cub petting and ambassador species interactions and walking with big cats. It also fails to include the closure of breeding establishments for other big cat species, such as tigers, leopards and jaguars that could ultimately form a replacement industry for captive lion breeding.
Dr Audrey Delsink, wildlife director for Humane Society International/Africa said: “Pi’s ordeal in the illegal pet trade is an example of what thousands of cubs just like him endure at the hands of the captive breeding industry here in South Africa. It is heartening to know that, after many years of advocacy, South Africa’s cabinet supports an end to this cruel and exploitative industry so that these magnificent creatures will no longer be born to suffer for profit. As the Ministerial Task Team’s voluntary exit plan unfolds, and a moratorium on further lion breeding is established, numerous cubs will be saved from the clutches of profiters. However, while we commend the DFFE for its commitment to reforming this industry, we urge it to apply the ban to all captive big cats in South Africa and to include a prohibition on keeping big cats as pets.”
Shane Hart, assistant director for Drakenstein Lion Park, said: “We at Drakenstein Lion Park, South Africa’s oldest true sanctuary, are incredibly proud to provide Pythagoras (Pi) with his forever home. Here, he will receive our expert care for the rest of his natural life, free from exploitation and abuse. We are incredibly grateful to Animals Lebanon and Humane Society International for all of their help and effort in ensuring his rescue could take place. Pi is in an evaluation and quarantine area built to his needs while his mental wounds start to recover, and will graduate to a larger cub enclosure as soon as he is ready. Once this little warrior is no longer little, he will be moved into his full-size enclosure, his lifetime sanctuary.”
TAKE ACTION: You can help make a difference to the lives of lions in South Africa.
Never visit or support any facilities that offer interaction with wildlife (such as cub petting or walking with lions), or that breed and trade wildlife. Visit org for further information.
Sign HSI/Africa’s Big Cats petition to help urge the DFFE to introduce legislation that prohibits keeping tigers, lions and other big cat species as pets. This legislation should include banning public contact with all big cat species, not just lions, including keeping such species for promotional, educational or entertainment purposes, and interactive experiences like cub petting and walking with big cats. Sign here.
Follow HSI/Africa’s social media channels (@HSIAfrica) to find shareable information about South Africa’s captive lion breeding industry and associated activities. Please share this knowledge with your friends and family and encourage them not to be a part of this exploitative trade too.
Note: This newsroom link is set to expire the week of May 20 when we will be upgrading our media visuals library. If you need access to these visual assets after that date, please contact LRoode@hsi.org to provide you with a new download link.
ENDS
Media contact: Leozette Roode, media and communications specialist, HSI/Africa, LRoode@hsi.org, +27 71 360 1104
Veterinarianss, animal organisations and government authorities trained in new geolocation tech and low-stress methods for street dogs
Humane Society International / India
HSI.
INDIA—To celebrate World Veterinary Day, Humane Society International/India launches an innovative street dog spay and neuter training program to equip veterinary professionals, animal welfare organisations and relevant government agencies with essential skills to improve the well-being of dogs living on the streets. The initiative seeks to address critical challenges in caring for and managing street dogs by improving spay and neuter practices and aligning them with the Animal Welfare Board of India’s 2023 Animal Birth Control Rules.
The program will initially train two animal protection organisations—Jeevdaya Charitable Trust and Just Be Friendly—using a multifaceted curriculum including street dog survey methodologies, low-stress dog handling and catching techniques, GPS tagging procedures facilitated by a mobile application launched by Humane Society International/India, kennel management protocols, clinic protocols, and hands-on spay and neuter surgical training. By integrating newly trained professionals into city directories, the initiative aims to cultivate a network of veterinarians and animal welfare organiszations equipped to adopt humane and innovative techniques to care for dogs living on the streets.
“Veterinarians play a pivotal role in shaping the future of animal welfare, and we are thrilled to announce this groundbreaking program on World Veterinary Day,” said Dr. Sanjay Ahir, Senior Manager, Veterinary Training and Capacity Building Program at Humane Society International/India. “At its core, this initiative is about empowering veterinarians and organisations to become champions for street dog welfare and ultimately reduce conflict between street dogs and people. We hope to create a pool of next generation veterinarians and individuals who will further the movement of animal protection,” he added.
To join the veterinary capacity building program or to learn more about street dog management training opportunities, veterinarians, animal welfare organisations and government agencies can reach out to HSI/India via email at india@hsi.org.
Humane Society International
David Paul Morris
DA NANG, Viet Nam—Humane Society International applauds An Phu Farm, a farm-to-fork food store chain in central Viet Nam, for its commitment to improve animal welfare. After dialogue with HSI, the company has pledged to phase out the purchase of eggs and pork products from farms that use intensive cage and crate confinement systems, and will apply this policy to its own pig and egg farms, with a commitment to fully implement by 2025.
An Phu Farm prides itself on being a sustainable food retailer in Da Nang with a vision to bring the best quality and sustainable products to customers. After nearly 10 years in business, An Phu Farm has six food stores, and both an egg farm and a pig farm, operations the company plans to expand in the years to come.
Discussing its commitment, Phan Anh Tu, CEO of An Phu Farm stated: “We are pleased to become the first chain in central Viet Nam to join the global cage-free movement. Our team is excited about this new journey and we look forward to working with suppliers and other stakeholders to implement this important commitment.”
Under An Phu Farm’s plan, eggs from all company-owned farms will be certified by an animal welfare certification program as the company moves to go cage-free by 2024 and guarantee that 100% of the eggs it gets from external suppliers will be cage-free by 2025 in all retail stores. The company has also set the target of becoming an animal welfare-certified pig producer that doesn’t use gestation crates by the end of 2025.
In its commitment, An Phu Farm joins companies including Pizza4P’s and Fusion hotels, among others in Viet Nam, that are working to improve animal welfare in their supply chains.
Cage-free housing for hens in egg production and group-housing for gestating sows provide opportunities for the animals to move freely and to express their most fundamental natural behaviors. Cage-free systems are a tremendous step up from the antiquated intensive cage and crate confinement commonly used in the industry. Gestation crates are barely larger than a sow’s own body and are so narrow that she cannot even turn around. Similarly, hens cannot even spread their wings or take more than a few steps in cage system housing.
Cage and crate-free housing are supported by leading international scientists and animal welfare scientists, and in response to consumer demand, companies and producers around the world are making this transition.
Hang Le, regional farm animal welfare manager for HSI in Southeast Asia, says: “Many companies and producers in Viet Nam have acted to improve the welfare of farmed animals. The pioneering commitment of An Phu Farm in central Viet Nam confirms that cage-free and group housing are the future.”
HSI works with companies and producers in various sectors, from retail to food manufacturing, to transition to higher welfare systems, such as cage-free egg production. In addition, we work with institutions to include more plant-based and protein alternatives for a more sustainable future.
Akiyoshi's restaurant pledges to only use eggs from cage-free hens, transforms the lives of over a thousand hens each year
Humane Society International / Southeast Asia
HSIcage-free laying hens
BANGKOK—Japanese restaurant Akiyoshi announced all its restaurants in Bangkok will exclusively use eggs laid by hens enjoying cage-free environments. This strategic decision will improve the lives of over a thousand hens each year, marking a significant advancement in animal welfare within Akiyoshi’s food supply chain, in alignment with the organisation’s ethos of responsible sourcing. The restaurant’s policies apply to all branches in Bangkok and will include any new operations as the company expands.
Akiyoshi’s leadership swiftly pivoted towards eggs from hens with room to roam following strategic dialogues with Humane Society International, spurred by a shared commitment to alleviate the suffering of hens enduring cage confinement.
“At Akiyoshi, we create simple food under unique concepts of taste, quality, and top-class offerings and care about where our ingredients come from. Switching to using 100% cage-free eggs is an important decision for us because it fits with who we are and is what our customers want.” said the executive management team at Akiyoshi.
In 2022, Thailand kept 96.3 million egg-laying hens, typically confined in wire cages so small that they cannot spread their wings. Cage-free production systems provide a much higher level of welfare, allowing the hens to express their natural behavior, including ground scratching, pecking, laying their eggs in nests, perching, and fully spreading their wings, all of which are scientifically documented behavioral needs. Raising hens without putting them in cages allows hens to develop and express their behaviors freely and naturally.
“By granting hens the freedom to live and move without extreme confinement, Akiyoshi is accelerating the charge in creating a more compassionate food industry. This change isn’t just about eggs; it’s about honoring the inherent value and dignity of every hen in our food system.” shared Lalada Tangjerdjaras, Thailand Program Manager for HSI.
HSI’s work to improve the welfare of animals in agriculture is both science-based and collaborative. The organization works with companies, farmers, processors, scientists and certifiers to support a transition to cage-free housing systems and offers a wide range of support to companies including farm visits, consumer education and corporate roundtables and workshops to enhance their supply chains.
ENDS
Media contact: Lalada Tangjerdjaras, Thailand Program Manager for farm animal welfare and protection at Humane Society International, ltangjerdjaras@hsi.org
Chinese fur production has shrunk by almost 90% in last decade, but millions of animals are still suffering for the UK fur market
Humane Society International / United Kingdom
A raccoon dog on a fur farm in Pulandian, China.
LONDON―Alarming footage from fur farms in north China shows foxes, raccoon dogs and mink exhibiting repetitive, stereotypical behaviour associated with mental decline and animals kept in intensive conditions including in close proximity to poultry, despite the potential for zoonotic disease spread. The animal protection charity Humane Society International has released the footage and renewed its call for a global end to the fur trade and an import ban on fur in the United Kingdom.
Fur farming has been banned on ethical grounds in the UK since 2003, however fur from countries including China is still imported into the country—a double standard that HSI/UK is campaigning to end. In May 2021 the UK Government launched a Call for Evidence on the UK fur trade, but almost three years on, officials are still withholding the results. Meanwhile, HSI estimates that the amount of fur imported into the UK from over the last five years (2019-2023) equates to approximately 7 million animals brutally killed for fur fashion, including the equivalent of around one million animals’ worth of fur imported directly from China.
Claire Bass, senior campaigns and public affairs director at Humane Society International/UK, said: “These squalid and cramped conditions on fur farms are clearly dire for the tragic animals trapped in them. What is less obvious is that the global fur trade is playing a game of pandemic Russian roulette, having already killed many millions of animals infected with COVID-19 and highly pathogenic avian influenza. As long as the UK keeps permitting fur to be imported to the UK, we are complicit in horrific animal suffering and a serious public health risk. We urge all political Parties shaping their manifestos ahead of the election to commit to ensuring that the UK closes its borders to this cruel, dangerous and completely unnecessary trade.”
Investigators visited five fur farms in December 2023 in the northern regions of Hebei and Liaoning where they also witnessed widespread use of antibiotics and the sale of raccoon dog carcasses for human consumption. There is nothing to stop fur from farms like these from being sold in UK shops.
Official statistics from China’s Fur and Leather Industry Association reveal a 50% decline in the country’s fur production from 2022 to 2023 and a decline of almost 90% during the period 2014 to 2023, consistent with an overall decrease in global fur production. The investigators observed that a significant number of the rural small and medium sized fur farms previously active in the area had closed due to poor sales. Although still the largest fur-producing country in the world, China’s trade cannot escape the global consumer and designer shift away from fur on both animal welfare and environmental grounds.
Chinese investigator Xiao Chen said: “The fur farms we visited were typical of fur farms across China where animals are sadly held in cramped, barren cages, many pacing up and down repetitively due to psychological distress. These are naturally inquisitive, energetic animals but they are reduced to this sad existence in a wire cage with nowhere to go and nothing to do. I cannot imagine their frustration and boredom, all to produce something as trivial as fur fashion. I feel ashamed to be a human when I visit these fur farms and see the cruelty and indifference of which we are capable.”
Each of the fur farms visited kept between 2,000 – 4,000 fur bearing animals in small cages so packed together that in some cases the mink or raccoon dogs could touch animals in neighbouring cages through the wire walls, making disease transfer a possibility. Despite the many hundreds of COVID-19 and avian influenza cases confirmed on fur farms globally since 2020, the fur farmers confirmed to the investigators that they don’t routinely sterilize the farms because of cost considerations. Despite not being asked by any of the farmers to abide by disease prevention protocols before entering, the investigators took their own precautions.
The food preparation areas on several fur farms showed large quantities of frozen fish, chicken meat and liver, eggs and milk powder being ground up into paste to feed to animals. In addition to contributing to fur farming’s carbon footprint, feeding raw chicken meat to animals on fur farms has been identified by EU experts as a biosecurity risk.
Veterinarian Professor Alastair Macmillan, who viewed the footage, said: “As a veterinary microbiologist, I am deeply concerned by the apparent lack of biosecurity and potential for transmission of avian influenza due to chickens and ducks moving freely between cages of raccoon dogs. That demonstrates a ready route of transmission via direct contact or faecal contamination. Cases of avian influenza have already been documented on European fur farms and such close proximity between species significantly heightens the risk of avian-to-mammal transmission. The high stocking density of raccoon dogs could also facilitate virus adaptation to mammalian hosts and the selection of virus strains capable of transmitting between mammals. The sale of raccoon dog carcasses and cooked meat for human consumption also raises concerns about the potential for zoonotic disease transmission.”
The investigation found that the most common killing method on the fur farms is electric shock applied via the mouth and rectum, although some farm operators kill mink by smashing their heads against a metal pole or beating them over the head with a club. There are a number of markets in the region where animal carcasses from fur farms are sold for approximately 2-3 yuan/kg. One local restaurant visited by the investigators offered boiled, fried and marinaded raccoon dog meat for sale to local customers for around 20 yuan and confirmed that it cooked 42 raccoon dogs a day.
Dr Peter Li, HSI’s China policy expert, said: “Because of the rejection of fur by so many designers and consumers, fur farming in China has seen a dramatic reduction in recent years. But the end of this cruel, environmentally damaging and dangerous industry cannot come soon enough.”
National polling carried out in April 2022 revealed that 77% of British citizens think the Government should ban the importation of animal products such as fur, where the production methods are already banned in the UK. The #FurFreeBritain campaign has so far gathered over 1.1 million petition signatures calling on the UK to ban fur imports and sales.
In May 2021 the UK Government launched a Call for Evidence on the UK fur trade, with the stated intention of using the findings to inform possible future action. Around 30,000 responses were submitted before the consultation closed in June 2021, but almost three years on, officials are yet to release the results, or set out a policy response.
In 2023 China produced 10 million fox, mink and raccoon dog fur pelts, a more than 50% decrease on the 22 million pelts produced in 2022 and an 88% decline from a decade ago. In 2014 China produced 87 million fur pelts—60 million mink pelts, 14 million raccoon dog pelts and 13 million fox pelts.
A study by carbon footprint experts at Foodsteps, commissioned by Humane Society International and reviewed by renowned sustainability expert Dr Isaac Emery, found that the environmental impacts of mink, fox and raccoon dog fur production significantly exceed those of other materials used in fashion, including cotton and even polyester and acrylic used to make faux fur. A significant component of fur’s carbon footprint is the vast quantity of animal products fed to carnivorous animals on fur farms.
Chinese fur production has shrunk by almost 90% in last decade, but millions of animals still suffering despite public health risks
Humane Society International
Investigation
BEIJING—Alarming footage from fur farms in north China shows foxes, raccoon dogs and mink exhibiting repetitive, stereotypical behaviour associated with mental decline and animals kept in intensive conditions including in close proximity to poultry, despite the potential for zoonotic disease spread. The animal protection charity Humane Society International has released the footage and renewed its call for a global end to the fur trade.
Investigators visited five fur farms in December 2023 in the northern regions of Hebei and Liaoning where they also witnessed widespread use of antibiotics and the sale of raccoon dog carcasses for human consumption.
Official statistics from China’s Fur and Leather Industry Association reveal a 50% decline in the country’s fur production from 2022 to 2023 and a decline of almost 90% during the period 2014 to 2023, consistent with an overall decrease in global fur production . The investigators observed that a significant number of the rural small and medium sized fur farms previously active in the area had closed due to poor sales. Although still the largest fur-producing country in the world, China’s trade cannot escape the global consumer and designer shift away from fur on both animal welfare and environmental grounds.
Chinese investigator Xiao Chen said: “The fur farms we visited were typical of fur farms across China where animals are sadly held in cramped, barren cages, many pacing up and down repetitively due to psychological distress. These are naturally inquisitive, energetic animals but they are reduced to this sad existence in a wire cage with nowhere to go and nothing to do. I cannot imagine their frustration and boredom, all to produce something as trivial as fur fashion. I feel ashamed to be a human when I visit these fur farms and see the cruelty and indifference of which we are capable.”
Each of the fur farms visited kept between 2,000 – 4,000 fur bearing animals in small cages so packed together that in some cases the mink or raccoon dogs could touch animals in neighbouring cages through the wire walls, making disease transfer a possibility. Despite the many hundreds of COVID-19 and avian influenza cases confirmed on fur farms globally since 2020, the fur farmers confirmed to the investigators that they don’t routinely sterilize the farms because of cost considerations. Despite not being asked by any of the farmers to abide by disease prevention protocols before entering, the investigators took their own precautions.
The food preparation areas on several fur farms showed large quantities of frozen fish, chicken meat and liver, eggs and milk powder being ground up into paste to feed to animals. In addition to contributing to fur farming’s carbon footprint, feeding raw chicken meat to animals on fur farms has been identified by EU experts as a biosecurity risk.
Veterinarian Professor Alastair Macmillan, who viewed the footage, said: “As a veterinary microbiologist, I am deeply concerned by the apparent lack of biosecurity and potential for transmission of avian influenza due to chickens and ducks moving freely between cages of raccoon dogs. That demonstrates a ready route of transmission via direct contact or faecal contamination. Cases of avian influenza have already been documented on European fur farms and such close proximity between species significantly heightens the risk of avian-to-mammal transmission. The high stocking density of raccoon dogs could also facilitate virus adaptation to mammalian hosts and the selection of virus strains capable of transmitting between mammals. The sale of raccoon dog carcasses and cooked meat for human consumption also raises concerns about the potential for zoonotic disease transmission.”
The investigation found that the most common killing method on the fur farms is electric shock applied via the mouth and rectum, although some farm operators kill mink by smashing their heads against a metal pole or beating them over the head with a club. There are a number of markets in the region where animal carcasses from fur farms are sold for approximately 2-3 yuan/kg. One local restaurant visited by the investigators offered boiled, fried and marinaded raccoon dog meat for sale to local customers for around 20 yuan and confirmed that it cooked 42 raccoon dogs a day.
Dr Peter Li, HSI’s China policy expert, said: “Although this investigation took place in China, the animal suffering inherent in the fur trade can also be seen on fur farms across Europe and North America. Mentally disturbed animals, piles of animal filth, barren cages and worrying zoonotic disease risk is in stark contrast to the glamorous image the fur trade tries to portray. But that’s the grim reality behind this industry. China exports fur to countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States and across Europe, making those nations complicit in this cruelty. Responding to so many designers and consumers rejecting fur, fur farming in China has seen a dramatic reduction in recent years. But the end of this cruel, environmentally damaging and dangerous industry cannot come soon enough.”
Media contact: Wendy Higgins, HSI’s director of international media: whiggins@hsi.org
Notes
In 2023, China produced 10 million fox, mink and raccoon dog fur pelts, a more than 50% decrease on the 22 million pelts produced in 2022 and an 88% decline from a decade ago. In 2014, China produced 87 million fur pelts—60 million mink pelts, 14 million raccoon dog pelts and 13 million fox pelts.
A study by carbon footprint experts at Foodsteps, commissioned by Humane Society International and reviewed by renowned sustainability expert Dr Isaac Emery, found that the environmental impacts of mink, fox and raccoon dog fur production significantly exceed those of other materials used in fashion, including cotton and even polyester and acrylic used to make faux fur. A significant component of fur’s carbon footprint is the vast quantity of animal products fed to carnivorous animals on fur farms.
Stray and community animals can endure hunger, disease, injury and abuse
Humane Society International / Africa
Kobus Tollig for HSI
CAPE TOWN―This World Stray Animal Day, Humane Society International/Africa is promoting the role that street animal health can play in protecting human health. According to the Mars State of Pet Homelessness Report, over 360 million dogs and cats are homeless across 20 countries studied, 4.05 million in South Africa alone, of which 650, 000 live in shelters and 3.4 million live on the streets. Many street dogs live alongside some of the world’s poorest communities which have little access to spay/neuter, vaccination or other veterinary services. Life can not only be extremely tough for these animals battling starvation, untreated disease and injuries, but lack of veterinary care can also create human health issues from untreated tick, mite, lice and fly infestations as well as rabies.
HSI/Africa’s Healthy Pets, Healthier Community pilot program in Struisbraai and Bredasdorp, Cape Agulhas, is improving the welfare of roaming and owned community dogs and cats through sponsored veterinary services, mass sterilisation, vaccination, deworming and other treatments. The program also delivers humane education for local schools and families as well as an animal law enforcement component to strengthen the protection of animals in these communities. Soon, the charity will expand the program to reach people and animals in other regions.
Fagan Vollenhoven, campaign manager for HSI/Africa’s companion animal and engagement program, said: “There are around 4 million homeless dogs and cats living in South Africa, which not only presents an animal welfare challenge, but as so many of these animals live within some of our most underserved communities, keeping these animals safe and healthy also benefits human health. Our Healthy Pets, Healthier Community program brings sponsored veterinary services including spay/neuter and vaccinations to communities living with owned and roaming dogs and cats who may struggle to find enough food, water, shelter, veterinary care and safety. Meaningful and effective community engagement and humane education play a central role in the success of our program and we’re proud of our work to foster safer, peaceful coexistence between people and the companion animals with whom they live.”
On this World Stray Animal Day, help reduce the number of homeless cats and dogs in South Africa by adopting a companion animal instead of purchasing and ensuring that your furry companions are equipped with adequate identification.
Media contact: Leozette Roode, HSI/Africa media specialist; LRoode@hsi.org; 071 360 1104
The African elephant population has declined 60% over the last 50 years
Humane Society International
Waldo Swiegers/AP Images for HSI
WASHINGTON—Today, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service announced a final rule governing import permits for live African elephants and elephant hunting trophies. This action effectively bans elephant hunting trophy imports from certain countries that serve as major destinations for trophy hunters—a win for the conservation of the species listed as threatened under the Endangered Species Act.
“Today’s announcement serves as a victory for the animal welfare and conservation movement, as this is precisely what the Endangered Species Act was designed to accomplish. The U.S. government should not be in the business of promoting the decline of a species, especially one classified as threatened under its own law,” said Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States. “Elephants are complex, family-centered animals, important within their ecosystems and cherished by people all over the world. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s move is a meaningful step toward saving African elephants from extinction.”
Since the Fish and Wildlife Service classified African elephants as threatened in 1978, their global population has decreased by at least 60% due to poaching, habitat loss and other compounding threats. Trophy hunting and the capture of live wild elephants for exhibition in U.S. zoos contribute to this decline through direct removals of individuals and ripple effects negatively impacting the overall health and survival of family groups.
“For decades the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has been allowing African elephant imports without current population data, transparency or effective oversight,” said Sara Amundson, president of Humane Society Legislative Fund. “With African elephants’ rapid global population decline and the abrupt reversals in federal protections between administrations, this new revision to the regulation will help the agency make decisions that enhance the survival of the species in the wild, instead of incentivizing its decline. Considering how the U.S. is one of the world’s worst offenders in the elephant hunting trophy trade, we thank U.S. Secretary of the Interior Secretary Haaland and the Fish and Wildlife Service for taking these steps to protect endangered and threatened species.”
The new revision clarifies guidelines for granting import permits. It also strengthens the agency’s oversight capacity and the transparency of the permit application process. The U.S. imports more hunting trophies than any other country in the world, accounting for 75% of global hunting trophy imports and almost 25% of global elephant hunting trophy imports between 2014 and 2018. The revised rule heightens the criteria required for the Fish and Wildlife Service to authorize imports, including from South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia—the top exporters of elephant hunting trophies to the U.S.—making it harder for trophy hunters to import their hunting spoils and for captive wildlife facilities such as zoos bring animals taken from the wild into the U.S. for exhibition.
“The agency’s new rule is a strong step in the right direction to finally gain transparency and oversight on this highly politicized and harmful trade in African elephants killed for fun and gruesome souvenirs,” said Jeff Flocken, president of Humane Society International. “We will continue to fight for a full ban on the trade in African elephant hunting trophies, and we hope this sets a precedent that can be applied to other countries and to other imperiled species, like lions, giraffes and leopards.”
Under the Obama administration in 2014, the Fish and Wildlife Service issued rules suspending the importation of elephant trophies from Tanzania and Zimbabwe into the U.S. In 2018, the Fish and Wildlife Service under the Trump administration withdrew that rule and began to allow the import of elephant trophies on a case-by-case basis, although former President Donald Trump tweeted about the trophy hunting aspect of the rule, saying he was “very hard pressed to change [his] mind that this horror show in any way helps conservation of elephants or any other animal.” Now, the Biden administration has heightened the criteria for what imports are allowed into the U.S.
In January, Belgium’s parliament voted unanimously to prohibit the import of hunting trophies from many endangered species into the country. This comes after the Netherlands instituted a ban on the import of hunting trophies for more than 200 species and France implemented a ban on the import of lion hunting trophies in 2015.
Waldo Swiegers/AP Images for Humane Society International Not the elephant referenced. This mature elephant bull is seen during an afternoon game drive on Wednesday, March 21, 2018 at the Makalali Game Reserve, South Africa.
CAPE TOWN, South Africa—It has been reported that another “super tusker” elephant bull, from the Amboseli elephant population, has been shot and killed in the Enduimet Wildlife Management Area in Tanzania. The killing took place during a hunting expedition operated by Kilombero North Safaris and allegedly involved a prominent American trophy hunter from Texas. A statement revealed that ”as of 10 March, a further three licenses are said to have been granted raising alarm and putting the integrity of the Amboseli elephant population in jeopardy”.
This is reportedly the third “super tusker” gunned down near the Tanzanian-Kenyan border within the past six months. “Super tuskers,” also known as “hundred-pounder” elephants, are male elephants with at least one tusk weighing 100 pounds (45kg). It is believed that there are as few as 50 left in Africa. They are critically important for stability in elephant societies and their habitats and ecosystems.
Dr Audrey Delsink, elephant behaviour expert and wildlife director for Humane Society International/Africa, says, “It is beyond comprehension that yet another of Africa’s iconic ‘super tuskers’ has fallen victim to the relentless pursuit of trophy hunters. The intrinsic value that these bulls bring to elephant society through their genetics, as repositories of social knowledge and as keystones of the environment, is irreplaceable. Mature bulls are crucial influencers within the population, holding significant importance for the future of younger males.”
“It is a myth that they are expendable as they approach 40+ years of age. This is not the end of their breeding lives but rather when they are at their highest reproductive success, and they should not be senselessly cut down in their prime. The killing of these iconic animals isn’t just a biological travesty but a moral tragedy and a stain on humanity’s conscience,” Delsink explained.
ElephantVoices, Big Life Foundation and the Amboseli Trust for Elephants, released a statement appealing for “an end to elephant trophy hunting in the Enduimet Area of Tanzania”. “The Amboseli population includes adult males with some of the largest tusks on the continent due to the particular genetic makeup of these elephants,” the statement reads. “Approximately 30 adult male elephants, over the age of 25 years, use the Enduimet area and beyond in Tanzania as part of their home range. For half a century Enduimet has been a favourite area for a particular set of adult males.”
Elephants are listed under Appendix II of the Convention on Migratory Species, to which both Kenya and Tanzania are parties. The listing encourages collaboration between countries to achieve conservation and management targets for listed species. Since 1995 a moratorium on trophy hunting of this cross-border elephant population between Kenya and Tanzania was agreed between the nations. After nearly 30 years, this moratorium was shattered when two “super tuskers” were killed south of the border in Tanzania, prior to this third killing.
Studies have found that with age, male elephants dedicate more of their energy toward reproducing. Mature bull elephants like these “super tuskers” will travel twice as fast and three times as far when they are in musth—the periodic state of intensive testosterone-fuelled sexual activity. Thus, the “conscious selection” of older “surplus” males being targeted by hunters has detrimental effects on the wider elephant society and can lead to a population collapse or long-lasting negative population changes. The biased removal of these older Amboseli bulls through trophy hunting poses a massive threat to these migratory animals.
Mature elephant bulls also act as role models for younger males. The killing of dominant elephant bulls results in the loss of vital social knowledge and experience from which these younger animals learn. Without leadership, the young bulls may navigate into risky environments and become more aggressive, resulting in physical interactions and associated injuries, and even increased human-wildlife conflict.
Dr Joyce Poole, co-founder and Scientific Director of ElephantVoices, says, “Fifty years of research on Amboseli’s known individuals has shown that males between 35 and 55 years of age are the primary breeders. Hunters who claim that older males are “dead wood” are just plain ignorant of the science. Males who are given the chance to live to an old age produce a disproportionate number of offspring, passing their genes to the next generation. By killing large tusked males hunters are damaging elephant society, negatively impacting Amboseli’s rare gene pool for large tusks and taking a toll on its future tourism potential.”
After a hunt, it is common for parts of the elephant to be taken and claimed as trophies. It is alleged that in this instance, the elephant’s carcass was intentionally destroyed through burning, to hide the travesty of making this bull yet another statistic in the ever-declining, already fragile “super tusker” elephant population.
ENDS
Media contact: Leozette Roode, HSI/Africa media and communications specialist, +27 (0)71 360 1104
