American trophy hunters are cheering the removal of some international trade protections for South Africa’s bontebok and now aim to get rid of the antelope’s Endangered Species Act coverage as well.
Encouraged by success at the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) meeting that concluded Friday in Uzbekistan, Safari Club International official Chris Tymeson said the hunters organization will next petition the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to remove the animal’s designation as threatened under the ESA.
“Delisting will further the species’ conservation mission by providing access to more global hunters that drive economic activity in rural African communities,” Tymeson said.
Tymeson, the club’s vice president of government affairs, added that “the success story that is the bontebok is largely possible due to the commitment from landowners, professional hunters and conservation partners working together to save the species.”
