Houston Safari Club (HSC) would like to take the opportunity to comment on HBO’s recently-aired feature on the status of the African elephant. The segment aired on “Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel”, November 24, 2015.
The piece focused on the declining numbers of African elephants. HSC applauds the investigative work of HBO’s journalists in publicizing international poaching issues facing elephants today and those brave individuals fighting great odds to protect the elephant from poachers. HSC absolutely disagrees that legal, regulated, ethical hunting should be linked with poaching, as a primary reason for the elephant’s declining numbers.
According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) (Updated African Elephant Database reveals declining elephant populations) published September 28th, 2015, “African Elephant numbers have decreased from approximately 550,000 to 470,000 between 2006 and 2013. The decline in elephant numbers appears to be primarily a result of increased ivory poaching pressure. Habitat loss and fragmentation due to landscape-level land use changes also pose significant immediate and long-term challenges to elephant conservation.”
Also, a study commissioned by HBO, was referenced in the episode (HBO Real Sports/Marist Poll). Some of the findings in the study were referenced. HSC would like to provide a response to some of those findings.
HBO REAL SPORTS/MARIST POLL
A majority of Americans, 56%, oppose hunting animals for sport, and most Americans, 86%, consider big game hunting to be especially distasteful.
HSC COMMENT
Of the 1,095 adults surveyed, only 11% were actually hunters or had hunted within the past two years.
HBO REAL SPORTS/MARIST POLL
65% of hunters disapprove of big game hunting.
HSC COMMENT
The survey question was posed as follows: “What about big game hunting, do you think hunting big game such as lions and elephants for sport is wrong and should be prohibited by law, is something you personally disapprove of but don’t feel it should be illegal, or it is acceptable to hunt big game for sport?”
The 65% was derived by combining responses from two separate questions: “Wrong, should be prohibited by law” (34%) and “Disapprove but don’t think it should be illegal” (31%).
To classify and represent big game hunting by two species (lion; elephant) is not an accurate representation of the category.
HBO REAL SPORTS/MARIST POLL
75% of gun owners disapprove of big game hunting.
HSC COMMENT
The 75% was derived from the same methodology and questions posed to hunters, combining responses from the same two separate questions: “Wrong, should be prohibited by law” (48%) and “Disapprove but don’t think it should be illegal” (27%).
Also, not all gun owners participate in hunting. According to a Pew Research Center survey (http://www.people-press.org/
2013/03/12/why-own-a-gun-prot. ..) conducted in February 2013, only about three-in-ten Americans (32%) said they owned a gun for hunting. HSC believes in ethical and legal hunting standards, sustainable use-based conservation models and tha
t hunting provides social, cultural and economic benefits to societies. HSC supports actions against poaching and opposes the illegal trade of animals and/or animal parts. HSC adamantly objects to any inferred connection of regulated, ethical hunting with poaching.
