You may no longer transport hunting trophies on South African airliners

As South African Airways (SAA) pushes ahead to be one of the most sustainable airlines in the world the company has announced an immediate ban on the transport of hunting trophies on its passenger and cargo planes. The decision was made last week and formally announced yesterday.

wildlifenews.co.uk...

In January this year SAA was only the second global airline to pass stage 2 of the IATA Environmental Assessment Programme in order to be independently recognised for the sustainability of it’s operations.

This new announcement goes even further and helps to recognise that most passengers that SAA carry go to Africa to enjoy the sights and sounds of living creatures and do not go there to kill it’s most wonderful species and wildlife.

Big game hunters should all be hunted!

Although I wonder how this will effect tourism is SA?

A positive step for the environment.

a reply to: HD3DSURROUNDSOUND

I dont hold with game hunters actions, its simply sad to kill for sport.

Good for South African airlines taking a stand on the issue.

Should these people feel the need to hunt for sport may i suggest targeting ISIS.

i have a question [ 3 actually ] :

in 2014 , how many :

a - passengers

b - tons of cargo

c - " hunting trophies "

did SAA carry ???????????????????

lets put this ` ethical stand ` in perspective shall we ?

a reply to: HD3DSURROUNDSOUND

Good news
Lets hope other airlines follow their lead.

a reply to: andy06shake

Thanks Andy I agree and funny coment about ISIS. While I can take no credit in direct proceedings I'm still slightly proud of my country. I hope they keep up the good work

a reply to: ignorant_ape

Dear ignorant, I'm sure that just the one lion or zebra or kudu or springbok that gets to keep his head because of this new law makes it worth it. I don't know exact figures but I do know that there are hunters hunting in my country every single day of the year. True they might find other ways to get their sick trophies home but at least one airline company is making a stand for the poor helpless animals.

I find your questions very calous. Is it not good news if even one poor animal is saved?

This article is clear of the subject content and for me the perspective is also clear! Were saving wildlife here!

Unless you meant to draw a comparison oof how many other airlines still carry trophies and that one airliner making a ban will not effect the transport of trophies as a whole??

a reply to: gortex

Thanks gortex I agree

Im glad this has happened, lets hope the next step is ban all hunting by non residents. Blood sports are just sick.

a reply to: PhoenixOD

I assume that you are a vegan...

And if not then you statement is nothing more than hipocritical.

So help me understand as to why this is an ethical decision for the airline.

If the hunt took place legally, and the meat was used in a proper manner i.e. eaten or given to the locals or transported to the hunters home to be eaten, then where is the ethical delima here?

I am a avid hunter, here in the states. I know that after game is harvested, the proper licenses and "tags" must be kept with the carcass and any meat that is taken. Even the trophy mount is by law required to be maintained with the proper paperwork/tag. The US also has a very well managed wildlife population, yep you guessed it the primary management method is implemented by controld hunts.

However I do not know SA's laws on hunting, but I assume they are somewhat similar tob the US's laws, could some one from the area confirm this?

This just seems like a empty gesture by the airline.

a reply to: jackjoedoe

Let the locals hunt and eat their own animals, they don't need any help from bloodthirsty foreigners who just enjoy killing things with their big guns.

Could get high ratings on the telly this... The hunter becomes the hunted game show.

Prizes to be won! Their heads!

a reply to: HD3DSURROUNDSOUND

oh dear - no animal is going to be " saved " by this decision .

so you are not saving wildlife

if you actually think that - its time to give up

PS - can anyone actually answer my origional question - it is relevant

a reply to: HD3DSURROUNDSOUND

You honestly think that it's going to change anything? Oh brother! It's nothing more than a minor inconvenience. There are a ton of companies that will be willing to ship your trophy back for you on the cheap.

Sorry, try again.

a reply to: HD3DSURROUNDSOUND

About time! I just hope further measures are taken.

First, side note. This:
As South African Airways (SAA) pushes ahead to be one of the most sustainable airlines in the world.
Is the funniest thing I've read all week considering SAA has been saved from bankruptcy from the government more times than anyone can care to remember.

I'm in no way a supporter of hunting. The tourists with the pictures of their "trophies" are disgusting. Canned hunting - which 99% of those rich folks do - is hardly hunting. It's simply killing an animal; it shouldn't even be called hunting by definition...

That being said, South Africa is dependent on the hunting industry.

The hunting industry has generated R7.7 Billion in 2011 - .25% of SA’s national GDP.
R3.1 Billion per year was generated from around 250 000 biltong hunters in South Africa. R2.1 Billion per year was generated from around 15 000 trophy hunters from abroad. The balance was generated from add-on services, food and accommodations.
Trophy hunting has a lesser impact on wildlife than biltong hunting.
Hunting is by far the largest revenue generator for game farmers. The sale of animals represents only around 5% of the revenue generated by game farmers.

Source - Although probably a bit subjective.

...Molewa said the country is the third most diverse in the world. This was a big call card. Hunting, along its entire value chain, earns R6.2-billion a year. Bioprospecting, where goods are created from new natural resources like plants, earns a further R2.1-billion a year.
...
2013 News article

As much as we hate it - and most of us do - we need the hunting industry. SAA isn't doing anyone a favor.

Let's ignore that. Hunters will simply use other airlines (it's not as if SAA is the cheapest or best to begin with) or they will go "underground". Take rhinos for example. Rhino horn is in no shape or form legal anywhere between Mpumalanga, South Africa, yet it still somehow ends up in markets in the Eastern countries... Same as ivory. It is (supposedly) illegal to trade with ivory almost anywhere in the world, yet you can walk into a trinkets shop and buy something carved from ivory in most countries in the world...

I'm not what exactly SAA is trying to achieve, but it's a fool's errand no matter how you look at it...

originally posted by: ignorant_ape
...

PS - can anyone actually answer my origional question - it is relevant

Just for you



You'll never get a straight answer to your questions. SAA is a quasi-government institution that can't even remember how to spell the word "profit". Any statistics you get from them should be taken with about a pound of salt.

According to the latest 2014 annual report they claim 7,1 million SAA passengers (and 2.1 million national flights on the subsidiary, Mango Airlines) and 132 000 tonnes of cargo.

Combine that with the claimed 15 000 "hunters" from abroad... (Let's pretend they all flew with SAA...)

It's a very, VERY small drop in the SAAirlines bucket.

a reply to: Gemwolf

thanks gemwolf

so 15 thousand out of 9 million passenger base

sounds like a publicity stunt to me

Awesome.