It's About Animals

SCI is the only association in the United States that advocates for the rights of hunters. It's Safari Magazine is the world's premier hunting magazine. The Safari Club's literature points out that it is "dedicated to wildlife conservation, education and the advocacy of hunter's rights." A visit to SCI's web site reveals their mission statement which states "By preserving wildlife today, we can ensure continued resources for future generations of hunters." In the past, a series of prominent members of SCI have been charged with illegal or unethical hunting conduct which includes competitive hunting of the world's rarest wildlife.

To be a highly decorated member of the Safari Club International, a trophy hunter has to kill more than 322 different species of mammals. These animals include leopards, rhinos, African elephants, Nile crocodiles and other threatened species. Last year, The New York Times reported on a highly questionable safari hunt in Mozambique involving the then-president of SCI, an immediate past president and a prominent member and donor. The SCI hunting party went on a killing spree, according to a game reserve manager in the area in which the safari occurred. Among the animals killed were three enormous bull elephants. Mozambique law banned the hunting of elephants at that time. SCI acts as the de facto trade association for the international trophy hunting industry. It has 29 hunting achievement awards, in which an individual hunter must kill a agreed upon number of species in order to win the award. Awards include "Cats of the World", which requires killing six of the big cats, including lions, leopards and mountain lions, "Bears of the World", requiring the killing of four different bear species, including a polar bear, grizzly bear and Eurasian brown bear, and the Africa Big Five, requiring the killing of an African elephant, rhino, leopard, lion and Cape buffalo. The Africa Big Five award lists two species "threatened" with extinction under the provisions of the U.S. Endangered Species Act.

Most compassionate Americans would be horrified to learn of the association of George W. Bush and his father, the former president, with an organization such as SCI. Peter Hart Research conducted a national poll in May 1999 revealing that 83 percent of Americans oppose killing wild animals for a trophy. I find it unconscionable that any organization would promote the recreational killing of rare animals just for the purpose of acquiring a trophy or winning an award. If Bush does not realize that this is, to say the least, politically incorrect, I have to wonder what kind of man he would be as our next president.

Bob DeFranco is an animal behavior therapist, executive director of the Animal Behavior Center of New York and president of the American Foundation for Animal Rescue, Inc. in Queens. Watch him on Pet Talk Live, Wednesdays at 8:30 PM on Channel 34 in Queens and listen to him on the new radio talk show It's About Animals on NewsTalk 1050 WEVD AM on Saturdays at 5:00 PM. Questions or comments? Write P.O. Box 7623, Rego Park, NY 11374 or e-mail him at: bob@canines.com

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