S. Africa, Namibia urged to ban trophy hunting

United States-based animal protection organization Humane Society International (HSI) has urged Namibia and South Africa to abandon "cruel and wasteful" trophy hunting.

Andrew Rowan, President and CEO of HSI, said Monday that trophy hunting contributes only a small fraction to "the billions of U.S. dollars" generated by wildlife tourism in Africa.

"It's high time for South Africa and Namibia to reconsider the supposed value of trophy hunting to your economies and the harm it is causing to wildlife populations," Rowan said in a statement.

The killing of a famous Zimbabwean lion last month by an American dentist who paid for his hunt sparked international outcry.

"Millions of Africans who work in the tourism sector took care of the 56 million people who travelled to Africa to watch wildlife during 2013. This pales in comparison to the handful of people who accompanied a few thousand trophy hunters who also travelled to Africa that year," the statement said.

Nearly 20 major international airlines, including Delta, United Airlines, Air Canada and Air France, banned the carrying of hunting trophies following Cecil the lion's death.

HSI has expressed support to the ban.

"Without a way to transport the trophy home, these hunters would have no impetus for traveling to Africa to kill these iconic animals in the first place," it said in an earlier statement.

South Africa and Namibia last week protested against the carriers' decision, with South Africa saying the ban would be catastrophic for a hunting industry that generates nearly 500 million U.S. dollars a year, which would in turn "affect job creation and community development". Enditem