ENOUGH IS ENOUGH: HOW SOUTH AFRICA’S POLICIES ARE KILLING AFRICA’S WILD ANIMALS. A document prepared for CITES COP 17 EDITOR: Michele Pickover RESEARCHER: Mike Cadman DESIGN, LAYOUT AND TYPESETTING: Visual 8 Creative Published 24 September 2016 PO Box 3018 Honeydew 2040, South Africa [email protected] www.emsfoundation.org.za EMS FOUNDATION A document prepared for CITES COP 17 | 1 TE AbL Of CONTENTS SMOKE AND MIRRORS: WILDLIFE POLICIES IN POST-APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA 4 SOUTH AFRICA’S FALSE CLAIM OF EXCEPTIONALISM 5 Hunting for Official Answers 6 SERIOUSLY…YOU ARE KILLING ME: THE WILD LIFE TRADE 8 BACKGROUND 8 AN OVERVIEW OF THE ILLEGAL TRADE IN SOUTH AFRICA 10 RHINOS IN SOUTH AFRICA: AN EXAMPLE OF TRADING INTO EXTINCTION 12 Overview 12 South Africa’s - Pro-Trade Position 14 Legal Trade: A Cover for Illegal Trade 15 Statistics and Comparative Data 16 Recommendations 17 ‘SUSTAINABLE USE’ IS LEADING TO THE EXTIRPATION OF AFRICA’S ELEPHANTS 19 Elephants are Africa’s Heritage 19 South Africa’s Elephant Population 20 Zimbabwe and Namibia’s Elephant Populations 21 South Africa and the Ivory Trade 22 Elephants Are Not Tyres: Why all Trade in Ivory Must End 22 AFRICAN GREY PARROTS 25 HUNTING FOR PROFITS: SOUTH AFRICA AND TROPHY HUNTING 27 THE ROLE OF NATIONAL AND PROVINCIAL PARKS 29 Turning a Blind Eye: ‘Sustainable Use’ Policies and Hunting in the Kruger National Park ‘Buffer Zones’ 29 Letaba Ranch 31 Makuya Nature Reserve (MNR) 32 Makulele Contract Park 33 Manyaleti, Andover and Mthethomusha Nature Reserves 33 Associated Private Nature Reserves (APNR) 33 ‘SUSTAINABLE USE’ ON STEROIDS: SOUTH AFRICA’S CANNED LION INDUSTRY 34 ”You can make as much money as you like”: Lion Hunting in South Africa 35 Inadequate Lion Hunting Statistics 35 Captive Breeding of Lions 35 South Africa’s Support for the Lion Bone Trade 36 CITES Cop 17 and South Africa’s Position on Lions 37 CONCLUDING REMARKS 38 REFERENCES 39 ENDNOTES 40 2 | A document prepared for CITES COP 17 EMS FOUNDATION ACRONYMS AEC African Elephant Coalition APNR Association of Private Nature Reserves CITES Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna & Flora COP Conference of the Parties DCA “damage causing animals” DEA Department of Environmental Affairs DRC Democratic Republic of Congo EU European Union GDP Gross Domestic Product INTERPOL International Criminal Police Organization IUCN International Union for the Conservation of Nature KNP Kruger National Park LEDET Limpopo Department of Economic Development, Environment and Tourism MNR Makuya Nature Reserve MPTA Mpumalanga Tourism and Parks Authority NGO Non-Governmental organisation PAIA Promotion of Access to Information Act PASA Parrot Breeders Association of South Africa SANBI South African National Biodiversity Institute SADF South African Defence Force SADC Southern African Development Community SANParks South African National Parks SDGs Sustainable Development Goals SPCA Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals UNEP United Nations Environment Programme UNITA National Union for the Total Independence of Angola VAT Value Added Tax EMS FOUNDATION A document prepared for CITES COP 17 | 3 SMOKE AND MIRRORS: WILDLIFE POLICIES IN POST-APARTHEID SOUTH AFRICA This Report tries to unpack South Africa’s role in a even more of a target for trade and slaughter. The world where Africa’s animals are literally “Under Siege”. recasting of wild animals as disposable commodities without intrinsic value, is taking place as the Earth is We highlight an obvious pattern: legal trade in both reaching finite limits and “resource use” is intensifying ivory and rhino horn is part of the problem and as a consequence. should be prohibited, because it has been used to launder illegal ivory and rhino horn which in turn South Africa’s wildlife policies of “sustainable use” are has stimulated demand. Criminals, benefitting from not only leading to the extirpation of wild animals corrupt and inefficient administration in many parts of but are deliberately positioning people against them. the world, including in South Africa and other Southern When you add to the mix: the lack of fiscal resources African countries, have taken full advantage. As a result needed for effective institutional capacity and of these factors many wild animals are under siege and enforcement; private ownership; and corruption, it is facing extirpation. Numerous studies mentioned in the a lethal situation indeed. report present a large body of evidence supporting this view. Historically, South Africa has always taken a pro “consumptive use” stance in relation to wild animals. While Africa’s wild animals are becoming extinct in In the colonial and apartheid past it was so that a their natural habitats, on the other hand, in South few people could benefit and have private hunting Africa, they are being commercially bred purely grounds. In terms of whom benefits now, this still for the purposes of killing and naked profit. And holds true – it is a few greedy people who are making unacceptably, their endangeredness makes them short term profits, albeit located within the language of development and livelihoods. In taking South Africa’s excessive wildlife policies have ushered in an extensive increase in the trade in animals and, a self-centred, what is essentially, the farming of wild animals. It is advocating endless exploitation, concealing ‘exceptionalism’ ethical issues and real suffering underneath this raw commercialism. The country’s position on ivory sales approach, and the growth of the hunting industry are examples South Africa is of its overt “consumptive use” conservation policies. Internationally, South Africa puts forward the image distancing itself that it is a “world leader” and should be respected when it comes to conservation, but in reality this from other African is not the case. Its increasingly hard line approach to the “consumptive use” of wild animals, regularly countries, displaying a puts the accumulation of profits ahead of ethics, livelihoods, the interests of other African nations or disregard for the the well-being, protection and conservation of the rest of the continent earth’s wild animals. South Africa is advocating the sale of ivory despite and placing Africa’s a compelling body of evidence to the contrary, the decimation of Africa’s elephants and the opposition of at wild animals least 70% of the 37 African elephant range states and other. in danger. South Africa allows and promotes the largest canned lion hunting industry in the world. The breeding of lions in captivity for the hunting industry is also fully supported by the government and has also led to the 4 | A document prepared for CITES COP 17 EMS FOUNDATION exportation of large quantities of lion bones for the A FALSE CLAIM OF EXCEPTIONALISM traditional medicine market in Asia. Far from trying to The nationalist, exceptionalism narrative that southern improve the country’s image as a responsible custodian African countries, such as South Africa, Zimbabwe, of nature and natural heritage, the Government now and Namibia, have “successful conservation practices” chooses to support this “reprehensible practice,” and should therefore be treated differently to the as it was once described by former Minister of rest of the Continent is not only spurious but cleverly Environmental Affairs Martinus van Schalkwyk. and carefully crafted to obfuscate real problems in relation to their own policies and the consequences South Africa has the largest hunting industry in sub- they are having for wild animals. Moreover, all of these Saharan Africa. It is Africa’s most popular destination countries have serious problems with corruption, for foreigners wishing to kill anything from elephants enforcement and the illegal trade. and buffalo to tiny antelope. South Africa remains the worlds’ top destination for the hunting of captive The South African exceptionalism position, with raised lions and is also the premier market for those increasing support from Zimbabwe, continuously wishing to shoot rhinos. distances itself from other African countries on issues related to elephants and displays a disregard for the Over the past 30 years South Africa has regularly rest of the Continent. promoted the sale of rhino horn despite evidence that sales fuel the killing of rhinos which increased South Africa’s promotion of ivory sales and its by 7,000% between 2007 and 2013 alone. As this support of the canned lion hunting industry are document shows, it is clear that the rhino hunting but two examples of putting profits before ethics permitting system, internal legal trade and poor and the needs of other African countries. There is a enforcement have all contributed to promoting the considerable body of academic work which shows global illegal trade in rhino horn. Legal hunting merely that the 2008 “once off’ sale of ivory contributed paved the way for the laundering of illegal horn. directly to an increase in elephant poaching and a wide range of people, even including professional South Africa has for decades lobbied for the opening and amateur hunters in South Africa, oppose canned of trade in rhino horn, although in early 2016, on lion hunting on ethical grounds. advice from the Committee of Inquiry established to deliberate on rhino poaching and matters relating Legal trade is also used as a cover to launder illegally to its effects, the government had no choice but to gathered ivory, rhino horn, abalone, etc. into the decide against making a request for sales. Although a market. Poor administration and control of trade is full explanation for this decision has never been made easily exploited by criminal networks. Nonetheless, public, South Africa has declined to destroy stockpiles, South Africa promotes both trade and canned obviously in the expectation that they may be used at hunting because it argues that elephants and lions some time in the future. in South Africa are “well managed” and that ivory sales and captive lion hunting will not threaten local South Africa also allows the breeding of a wide range of populations of these animals.