Yesterday I wrote a brief piece regarding some news I was hearing from reliable sources that Lufthansa Cargo had altered their policy on the transport of Hunting Trophies in Africa. This involved a memo that apparently had been issued by LH Cargo’s manager in Johannesburg, South Africa.
After reaching out to my Lufthansa contacts last night, I was pleased to wake up to emails confirming yesterday’s suspicions.
Coming directly from Lufthansa Cargo, it is clear as to what LH’s updated policy is on the transport of Hunting Trophies in Africa:
EFFECTIVE MAY 30, 2015:
‘Lufthansa Cargo has decided not to transport any trophies of the African fauna, e.g. lions, elephants and rhinos, in or out of Africa – including legally hunted or legally acquired trophies.’
No longer is there the technicality regarding CITES policies that allows for export of some trophies if they are legally hunted. As far as my language skills are concerned, I interpret the LH statement as covering a wide range of animals and the trophies will not fly aboard Lufthansa aircraft even if they were ‘taken’ legally.
This topic has been near and dear to me for quite some time and I’m happy to see that LH has joined the ranks of other airlines such as South Africa, Emirates and British Airways who also have policies in place that prevent this kind of transport.
To me, this looks like the beginning of a trend in the airline industry and if enough voices start calling for bans on Trophy transportation, airlines will have no choice but to listen.
Ideally, these policies should become ‘Alliance’ policies where organizations like Star Alliance, Skyteam or OneWorld would require member airlines to adhere to a uniform set of rules when it comes to topics such as this.
It is interesting to note however that Delta came out with a ‘defiant’ statement recently indicating that they will continue to transport hunting trophies in and out of Africa. I wonder how long that lasts…..but I digress…..
For now, enjoy the fact that Lufthansa has listened to our voices and has taken steps necessary to play an important role in this important matter.
It is a shame that legal activity is blocked by companies like Lh. My next hunting trip will not be a Lh flight. Shame
My next trip will be with LH. Well done.
Thank’s.
Thank god everyone is speaking out and I am one of them..!!!!!!!!!
I hope everyone who has commented in the last few days is aware that LH put this policy in place back on May 30, 2015 (Look at the time stamp for this post underneath the title). From some of the comments, tweets and Facebook activity, I sense that people assume that LH just did this in response the ‘Cecil’ shooting. However, LH took steps months ago to make sure that Trophies do not make it aboard.
Thank you Lufthansa!
I choose not to travel on airlines that do not carry legally hunted trophies .
Without hunting there would be very little wildlife left in Africa.
There is no place for emotional arguments against hunting in a world where wild areas are being eroded to make place for farming of food crops for the uncontrolled human population explosion. If there is not a monetary value on wild life , it will cease to exist. Look at whats happened in the countries that have banned hunting in Africa , examine FACTS
and remove sentiment from the argument. We’ve played God by placing animals in fenced off areas ( no matter how large ) and preventing them from natural migration. Wildlife will only survive through active wildlife management in the jails we’ve created from them, ONE of the management strategies is consumptive utilization – hunting – without which populations will continue to grow until the carrying capacity of the reserve, park, ranch is exceeded – they cannot migrate because humans have fenced them in – population crashes where active wildlife management has not been practiced is well documented – Google for more info.
Save the animals. They are not trophies.It’s time we humans take care of these beings. Egos are not worth stroking with life.
I agree with Lufthansa Airline’s decision to ban Transport Of Game Hunting Trophies In Africa. Thank you for making this happen
Thank u thank u thank u for being progressive and realising the insanity that these trophy hunters represent.
That’s amazing news!!!!!! Thank you Lufthansa!!!
thank you with whole my heart. Killing for fun is sic…You are part of a growing movement to make a better world. We may not let grow up our children and grandchildren in a culture where people kills for fun….we have to learn them respect for every human, animals and nature, so they can build on a constructive world with respect for every life, human and animal, and nature, in stead of a destructive world based on money, possession and power…
Danke schön, thank you so much!
As I understand it British Airways only ban the carriage of ivory and tusk from elephants rather than the ban on general hunt trophies that Emirates et al have put in place. So BA still allow other trophies such as lions and rhino.
Hopefully they will tighten up on that and join the others in a total ban of trophies.
Because, Morten, the fact is that it is not as you describe. There is no conservation value in hunting, despite what the industry would have us believe. It’s all about profit at the expense of the animals, not for their benefit.
The norm is that the animals are bred en mass in order to make money – from being petted as cubs (which is usually very traumatic and abusive to the cubs and their mothers who are constantly having their young torn away from them in order to be impregnated again) to eventually being sold to canned hunting operations and the like.
You’ll find plenty about it if you just search. Here’s one very recent one http://edition.cnn.com/2015/05/19/opinions/trophy-hunting-not-conservation-flocken/ though not as detailed as some.
Trophy hunters are not going to pay to shoot an old or sick specimen. They’ll want the biggest and most beautiful.
Anyway, beyond all of that… What kind of “human” actually experiences JOY by murdering another innocent life? How is that “sport” or “fun”? No. That is simply sick.
Much respect to Lufthansa for doing this, as well as the growing number of airlines that are doing the right thing.
I am very concerned about why they would ban legally trophys?
Hunting is a big economical benefit in many African areas.
Large amount of money is invested in preserving the wildlife, and only taking out weak, and older animals. As long as hunting generates an income, there is an interest in preserving the wildlife, and keeping a balance in numbers.
In short, if the population of a species is to high in an area, the animals will starve, and the general health will get poor=alot will die. Hunting selected weak, and old individuals can keep the population in a healthy state. (like predators would)
Hunting is a big economic benefit? Really? You’re very bad at statistics. Those animals are 130 times more valuable alive than dead. Environmental (photo, sightseeing, academic study) tourism easily outweighs hunting tourism by 10 to 1. Also when an animal is alive it can have other BABY animals, when it is dead it cannot. Quite basic really.
To say they are only taking out the weak older animals is a lie. They are called TROPHY hunts for a reason. They are taking out the biggest and strongest not the oldest and weakest. The idiots that do these hunts want a picture of the tamed beast dead and them standing on it or kneeling by it and they want the big ones. Stop lying.
I’m quite sure the animals have been around before humans have started this management you speak of and they were just fine. This fake population control argument is nothing but a hunters excuse for hunting.
Dex:
You are a prime example of a combination of arrogance, stupidity and lack of understanding of the subject matter.
It is clear that you have no idea what you are talking about. Hunters only hunt male animals. Please explain to me and the audience at large how MALE animals have more babies. Where did your 130 times number come from?
Where did your academic research tourism number come from?
If you are trying to have an intelligent discussion with adults, please have facts ready, not emotional vomit.
Do you know how many people (local Africans) depend on hunters for income?
In South Africa it is about 6,000, in Nambia, 2,100 and Tanzania about 4,000.
http://www.africanwildlifeconservationfund.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Economic-and-conservation-significance.pdf
Assuming they have two children each, when in reality it is probably much more, there are 48,000 people directly supported and fed by hunting.
Yet, YOU want to protect some OLDER and MALE animals who are going to die shortly anyway and starve 48,000 people. I hope you can begin to see how moronic, self-righteous and completely devote of ANY logic your position is. So I suggest, you educate yourself before you post in public again about a topic you know nothing about it. And before you spout off more non-sense, I am not a hunter.
Well said, Dex. We’re sick and tired of these wannabe Bwanas exploiting our wildlife.
Well said Dex as with Cecil he has 12 cubs with the other male lion Jericho they maintain a huge pride. Now that Cecil is dead it is Jericho that maintains that pride and now cares for Cecils pride. If a new male came in they would kills those 12 cubs and they would have 12 less male/female cubs. This trophy hunting canned hunting is bullshit and needs to be stopped. Mother nature has always had a way of taking care of weeding out the old and the sick. Its not mans job to do. AS far as the people of Africa they have a very corrupt government and need money that is paid for this hunting goes to the corrupt and the people suffer. But it should not be the blood of these animals to do it. Just my opinion
Well done, Lufthansa.
The reason why the people in Zimbabwe are selling their wildlife is because they have no money, food or jobs. The government took the farms away from the whites. The. blacks do not farm. This is their only income, although Mugabe, the dictator,is a very rich person. One day when all the game is gone, they will have to eat each other. Zimbabwe has a lot of minerals and a very good agricultural climate. Managed well, without all the corruption, there will be enough money to go around. They would not have to torture and sell their wildlife to survive.
As long as the world try to feed the hungry people in Africa, the dictators would not have to and can live in luxury.
People do not have to manage wildlife. Nature balanced itself for thousands of years intil people interfered.
Thank you, Lufthansa.
Nicely said Estelle!
So true!
But very worried for Mugabe’s daughter taking over. I have not read any positive story about her regime.
Well as far as I’m concerned *tough* if these greedy white rich hunters hadn’t came along …alot of the animals wouldn’t be on the verge of extinction. ..If they were allowed to continue, the villagers wouldn’t have anything left too eat anyway!!! Ban trophy hunting worldwide ….I hate humans…I will always be a voice for animals
You are correct that hunting is 100% legal. I don’t see anywhere in this that anyone is trying to say that it is illegal. I generally don’t comment on such thing because honestly no one really cares what anyone else thinks. I prefer to speak with my money. As I plan my upcoming photo safari I am booking with Lufthansa.
Woohooooo, you go girl!!!
Now that is the way to SHOOT animals
Score for people that think other people shouldn’t be allowed to do 100% legal things.
Because slaughtering an innocent is always brag worthy