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Hans Bauer writes for The Conversation

The UK All Parliamentary Group on Banning Trophy Hunting presented its report to the secretary of state for the environment, George Eustice, on 29 June. The group interviewed our lion researcher Hans Bauer, who edited his deposition in an opinion piece for The Conversation. Hans explains what trophy hunting is, shares his view that it has had limited success and argues that a transition to more effective forms of conservation is needed. This blog puts trophy hunting in the context of lion conservation more broadly.

Trophy hunting will not save Africa’s lions – so the UK ban on imports is a positive step for wildlife conservation – published 29 June

“Over the past 25 years, I have spent a lot of time counting lions as part of my job. Only last month, I spent three hours with two males – possibly brothers – right next to my car in Maze National Park, Ethiopia. Lions come in the night, very quietly. Despite weighing well over 20 stone (around 150kg), you do not hear their footsteps. What you hear is their breathing, the turbo of the killing machine.

Had I turned on a light immediately, they would have run away. These lions are skittish, even if they face no threat from trophy hunters in Africa’s national parks. So we spend half an hour in the pitch dark before I finally switch on a small red light to count the eye reflections. Another pause, then a bigger red light enables us to see their sex and age.

Read the full article on The Conversation website.

Disclaimer: WildCRU does not hold a collective position on any specific issue but is committed to sharing all members’ research across various media platforms. Opinions expressed are members’ own views and do not represent collective views of WildCRU or the University of Oxford.