--Chad Love

Is it a good idea for a nation to let wealthy international hunters shoot threatened species as a way to generate tourism dollars? What if the species in question may not be threatened elsewhere? That's the question being asked after one former Soviet bloc country decided to open hunting seasons on several internationally threatened species.

From this story on tol.org:

When Georgia’s hunting season opened last month, hunters were allowed, for the first time, to train their sights on several threatened species. The decision by the Energy and Natural Resources Ministry to permit hunting for animals on the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s list of threatened species, commonly called the Red List, is part of Tbilisi’s efforts to promote tourism. Some conservation groups contend the decision could be the death knell for species already under extreme strain from poachers, with even the environment minister weighing in against it. Researchers and environmentalists say there is no reliable count of how many of the threatened animals still roam the forests and mountains of Georgia.

In September, the Natural Resources Ministry proposed that hunting be allowed for several Red List species, including the brown bear, the Caucasian tur (a goat antelope), the bezoar goat, Caucasian grouse, and red deer. In an interview at the time, the ministry’s head, Alexandre Khetaguri, said Turkey, Ukraine, and Austria were already luring international hunters and it made sense for Georgia to profit from the trade as well.

Although the brown bear is not threatened globally, Georgia’s Red List (pdf), deems it endangered. The IUCN warns that even where the bears exist in large, contiguous populations, “they are sometimes hunted for sport or killed for control purposes at unsustainable rates.” The group notes that many countries lack the resources to maintain “adequate monitoring programs and sustainable management plans” for the bears. Red deer, too, are plentiful globally, but they are considered critically endangered in Georgia, as is the bezoar goat. The Caucasian grouse is classed as vulnerable on the country list.

Thoughts?

Comments (5)

from A Wild Beast at... wrote 13 weeks 2 days ago

Don't we hunters always claim that we are the main supporters of conservation? Well, in that case it is up to us to say no and not hunt species where they are endangered. Our ethics and moral code should reach out where the law fails.

SCI, DSC and others should not recognize trophies from Georgia (or any place where game is endangered), just like they stopped recognizing lions from South Africa due to canned hunts.

Please, read my blog. Just google "A Wild Beast at Heart".

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from axemike777 wrote 13 weeks 2 days ago

All hunters should band together and boycott hunting in Soviet Georgia. Most Hunters are ethical and also conservationist, we do not hunt endangered species!

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from 268bull wrote 13 weeks 2 days ago

I have no plans or desire to hunt for any of these animals. And neither is it my business or desire to force my thoughts upon these countries. They have their biologist's, let them work it out.

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from Colorado Samurai wrote 12 weeks 4 days ago

Before we all jump on this one, I would like to point out that Markhor, Himalayan Ibex, and Southern White Rhino were also endangered and they were hunted. They are all now moving from endangered to vulnerable. I am not necessarily for or against a hunt. I would first like to see the numbers for red deer, brown bear, Caucasian tur, and bezoar goat forom the last 25 - 30 years to the present with analysis of population trends before I consider those four. The Caucasian grouse is the only one I would grant consideration off hand, and at my current financial state a trip ANYWHERE outside of Colorado is unlikely for the foreseeable future.

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from Colorado Samurai wrote 12 weeks 4 days ago

That should read "from the last 25 to 30 years." My apologies to the readers.

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from A Wild Beast at... wrote 13 weeks 2 days ago

Don't we hunters always claim that we are the main supporters of conservation? Well, in that case it is up to us to say no and not hunt species where they are endangered. Our ethics and moral code should reach out where the law fails.

SCI, DSC and others should not recognize trophies from Georgia (or any place where game is endangered), just like they stopped recognizing lions from South Africa due to canned hunts.

Please, read my blog. Just google "A Wild Beast at Heart".

+3 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from axemike777 wrote 13 weeks 2 days ago

All hunters should band together and boycott hunting in Soviet Georgia. Most Hunters are ethical and also conservationist, we do not hunt endangered species!

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from 268bull wrote 13 weeks 2 days ago

I have no plans or desire to hunt for any of these animals. And neither is it my business or desire to force my thoughts upon these countries. They have their biologist's, let them work it out.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Colorado Samurai wrote 12 weeks 4 days ago

Before we all jump on this one, I would like to point out that Markhor, Himalayan Ibex, and Southern White Rhino were also endangered and they were hunted. They are all now moving from endangered to vulnerable. I am not necessarily for or against a hunt. I would first like to see the numbers for red deer, brown bear, Caucasian tur, and bezoar goat forom the last 25 - 30 years to the present with analysis of population trends before I consider those four. The Caucasian grouse is the only one I would grant consideration off hand, and at my current financial state a trip ANYWHERE outside of Colorado is unlikely for the foreseeable future.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

from Colorado Samurai wrote 12 weeks 4 days ago

That should read "from the last 25 to 30 years." My apologies to the readers.

0 Good Comment? Yes | No | Report

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