We would really like to thank Jade for sending us these inspiring and exciting reports on the progress of Yame & George.   As always the boys sound like they are having the time of their lives.  That is thanks to all those amazing people who kindly donated to their relocation from Spain to South Africa.  
I cannot believe how big Yame & George have grown.   Wow, what are you feeding them?
Bev

From Jade.
I hope this finds you well. Its that time again, for a little update on the adventures of George and Yame.

We are finally starting to feel the days getting warmer here, and as summer creeps back in slowly, we are starting to see a change in George’s comfort levels. Obviously with the warmer weather, his joints are not as painful, and he is playing a lot more with his brother. We have received some feedback from the vet regarding the blood tests, but will only really be able to update you all once he has had his new radiographs done (which will hopefully be in the next few weeks).

On his Minnesota land, lion hunter is tough on suspected poachers
by Jennifer Bjorhus, 
Star Tribune

Long before he was accused of poaching an African lion named Cecil, Walter Palmer was stalking suspected poachers on his private hunting land in northwestern Minnesota.

The Twin Cities dentist guarded his acreage and property lines so fiercely he alienated and even frightened local hunters, some Clay County residents and officials said. Run-ins with Palmer became the stuff of local hunting lore, said Clay County Commissioner Jenny Mongeau, whose district includes Palmer’s land.

“You don’t go close to it because he would report you,” said Mongeau. “He has zero positive relations with any of the neighbors, which is very uncommon for this area.”

A global furor erupted after news broke that Palmer, a veteran big-game hunter, had killed the famous research lion in a nighttime hunt in Zimbabwe in early July, maiming him with a compound bow and then finishing him off hours later. The lion was baited and the hunt was conducted on private land where, some authorities have said, there was no permit to kill a lion.

Despite accusations against Palmer, only the professional hunter he hired, Theo Bronkhorst, has been charged in Zimbabwe.

Palmer, 55, has not responded to multiple phone calls from the Star Tribune in the past two weeks, including requests for comment on this article. Vilified by animal welfare activists and the target of vitriol in social media, Palmer and his wife have not been staying at their Eden Prairie home or at their vacation home in Florida. Palmer’s dental practice in Bloomington remains shuttered.

In his one statement to the media last month, Palmer expressed deep regret for killing the lion but denied knowingly breaking any laws, saying he “relied on the expertise of my local professional guides to ensure a legal hunt.”

Palmer’s Minnesota hunting refuge lies between the town of Barnesville and Pelican Rapids, about 45 minutes southeast of Fargo-Moorhead. Locals talk with envy about the nearly 900-acre spread of rolling hills, oak woodlands and small lakes. It’s some of the most pristine countryside in the area, they say.

“That’s his own personal little hunting refuge,” said Shawn Olson, head of the Barnesville Rod & Gun Club. Olson said he’s heard all the stories about territorial disputes but hasn’t experienced any himself.

Palmer lives in Eden Prairie. Property records show he bought the core 520 acres in Clay County in 1999, and then added adjacent parcels over the years. He also owns another 230 acres on nearby Pelican Lake, in Otter Tail County.

Jason Stetz recalled the first time he met Palmer. Stetz, who owns Heart O’ Lakes Quality Meats in Pelican Rapids, said he’d been out hunting, and was driving down the gravel road by Palmer’s land when an odd deer appeared just off the road. Stetz said he pulled over and grabbed his binoculars thinking: “That’s the ugliest damn deer I ever saw.”

The deer was fake, plastic.

Something slapped Stetz’s pickup, startling him. It was Palmer. He was angry.

“You were going to shoot that deer,” Stetz recalled him saying. Stetz said he just had his binoculars out to look but Palmer insisted that Stetz was going to shoot the deer.

Palmer said he was going to call the game warden and told Stetz to get out of there.

Over the years Stetz and his friends and relatives would wrangle with Palmer over property lines, deer stands and trails of deer blood. Palmer was always quick to accuse them of trespassing, Stetz said. Once, Stetz said, Palmer scared him while he was hunting when Palmer popped out of the trees in camouflage with a digital camera, snapping photos of Stetz.

As he told the British tabloid Daily Mail, Stetz recalled Palmer once kicked his cousin Keith Stetz out of a deer stand, accusing him of hunting on his land. Stetz said Palmer had a handgun. When Keith climbed down, Stetz said he recalled Palmer telling him: “There is no excuse for ignorance.”

Keith Stetz did not respond to messages seeking comment.

None of the confrontations over Palmer’s boundaries resulted in violations, according to Lt. Phil Seefeldt, a DNR conservation officer who covered the area. Seefeldt said that the hunting disputes around Palmer’s land are “kind of an ongoing issue.”

Despite the friction, Stetz said Palmer invited neighbors to a party on the property around 2008. Stetz said not many people went, but he drove over. When he arrived, Palmer invited him into an old white schoolhouse near the old farmhouse on the land. Stetz peered in.

“I was like, Holy [expletive]!” Stetz said.

The schoolhouse was a museum, chock-full of mounted animals, he said, mostly head mounts on the walls. He said he recalls seeing deer heads, and “big game” type animals, but he can’t recall exactly what kind. Stetz said the collection might disturb someone not familiar with hunting, but that he considered it “neater than hell.”

“That’s his shrine. That’s his baby right there,” Stetz said.

Stetz said relations with Palmer have improved in recent years and that, at least with him, Palmer seems to have “come around.” Stetz butchers some of Palmer’s deer for him. Palmer, he said, always brings in the biggest bucks.

Some locals suspect Palmer and his wife may be on the secluded property now, keeping a low profile to avoid the harsh public reaction to Cecil’s killing. Stetz says he has no idea. All he knows is someone hired private security to watch the property.

Dear Chris,
We are delighted to inform you that Campaign Against Canned Hunting has been selected as a finalist in the World Responsible Tourism Awards 2015! 

What happens next:
Firstly, take a moment to savour your success. We are well aware of the considerable work involved in taking part in this process, and it is a testament to your dedication and commitment that you have made it this far. From all of us here at the Awards, well done!

In the next 24 hours we will be announcing the full list of Finalists of the Awards, including you, to the public via media release. Keep an eye on our twitter account @RTAwards for updates. 

We have now begun in earnest our preparations for the Awards ceremony in November where we will announce the Winners in each category, and we need your help to make the day special.



Sarah Bareham
World Responsible Tourism Awards Manager

Exposing the Safari Club International 
By Captain Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd

Finally the time has come to drop kick the Big White Hunters out of Africa.

Dr. Walter Palmer has done something worthwhile after all.

His special combination of vanity, smugness, greed, arrogance and stupidity has taken something which happens all the time, usually out of sight and out of mind, and has elevated it to international recognition.

The slaughter of Africa’s wildlife is a crime against nature and humanity.

In 1978, I spent a few months in East Africa investigating and tracking poachers. I was gathering information to support the listing of the African elephant as endangered. I wrote an article in Defenders of Wildlife that got me into an argument with the editor when I predicted that within two decades the elephant population would be diminished by 30%. He accused me of being overly dramatic and cut my prediction from the story. It turned out that I was not being dramatic enough. By 1980, the diminishment was 50% despite the fact that the African elephant was listed as endangered by the United States in 1978.

From a population estimated at some 25 million 500 years ago, the African elephant was reduced to ten million by 1913. By 1979, there were an estimated 1.3 million elephants. Today, there are only a half a million remaining and the population is in serious decline with poaching now at unprecedented levels.

And Dr. Walter Palmer was intending to kill an elephant before leaving Africa after realizing the potential trouble he was in for killing Cecil.

Looking at lions. When I first went to Africa there were 250,000 lions in the late Seventies. Today that number has been reduced to about 25,000.

And yet the killing goes on. Lions, rhinos, giraffe, elephants and so many other species killed by poachers illegally and legally in most cases by White hunters.

Most poachers are Black so they can’t afford to do the paperwork to make their activities legal. The White hunters however have the cash to buy legality.

Dr. Walter Palmer claims his hunt was legal, but it was not. It could have been. He paid for it to be, but he got greedy. He wanted a celebrity lion and lured it out of a national park and illegally shot it with an arrow in such an unprofessional manner that the lion suffered for 40 hours before being killed with a bullet from Palmer’s guide.

He and his guide then stupidly tried to destroy the radio collar, and in an even more stupid move, they left the collar near the body allowing authorities to find the decomposing carcass of what had recently been the noblest and most beautiful lion in Zimbabwe.

But there is a positive outcome from all of this. It seems that Dr. Walter Palmer has the potential to be the catalyst to what can be a movement to end the trophy hunting in Africa for good.

It reminds me of the trial of David Curtiss "Steve" Stephenson, the Grand Dragon of the Klu Klux Klan (KKK) who was convicted of the abduction, rape and murder of a young woman in Illinois named Madge Oberholter in 1925.

The Klan at that time was extremely powerful and influential. Stephensen met with and advised among others, both the Governor of Illinois and the President of the United States. His last rally before his arrest drew over 100,000 supporters.

His arrogance led him to believe he was above the law and thanks to the bull-dog
determination of a young prosecutor, Stephensen was sentenced to life imprisonment in 1925 and the power of the Klan quickly unraveled when the trial revealed the extent of Klan corruption in political circles.

Palmer’s arrogance has caused the story of Cecil the lion to go viral. He picked the wrong lion, took the wrong actions and cowardly tossed his guides under the bus. The Safari Club International has already recognized the danger Palmer has placed them in. They in turn tossed him under the bus and cancelled his membership and since then have been preparing themselves to defend their vile and bloody enterprise from the wrath of the public.

Safari International has some 50,000 members, 150 chapters and collects $3.17 million in membership dues each year. It raises another 7 million from their annual convention.

But what is truly despicable about this organization is that it encourages slaughter through awards.

SCI’s record book system ranks the biggest tusks, horns, antlers, skulls and bodies of hunted animals. Hunters are rewarded with trophies for completing a “Grand Slam.”

There are 15 “Grand Slams.” The ones that cover Africa are:

1. The African Big Five Club (African lion, African leopard, African elephant, African buffalo and an African rhinoceros.
2. “Dangerous Game of Africa” (requires a minimum of five from the African lion, African leopard, African elephant, African rhinoceros, African buffalo, Hippopotamus and Nile Crocodile)
3. “African 29” (African lion, leopard, elephant, rhinoceros, buffalo, and a small cat, eland, bongo,kudu, nyala, sitatunga, bushbuck, sable antelope, roan antelope, oryx/gemsbok, waterbuck,lechwe, kob or puku, reedbuck or rhebok, wildebeest, hartebeest, mamalisc, impala, gazelle, pygmy antelope, springbok, dik-dik, bush duiker, forest duiker, nubian ibex, aoudad, hippopotamus, and wild pig)
4. “Cats of the World” (minimum of four of: lion, leopard, cheetah, jaguar, cougar, lynx, cougar or puma, serval, carcal, African golden cat or bobcat)

There are dozens of other reward categories with members able to purchase special gold and bejewelled pins for the number of kills they rack up.

There is also the Global Hunting Award that requires the killer to have hunted 6 continents to receive a diamond award (a minimum of 17 native in Africa, 13 native or introduced in North America, 4 native or introduced in South America, 6 native or introduced in Europe, 6 native to Asia and 4 introduced in the South Pacific, for a total of 50 animals).

There is the Hunting Achievement Award that requires a minimum of 125 animals, or 60 if hunting with a bow.

And for women they have the Diana award, given to women who “have excelled in international big game hunting.”

And finally there is the obscenely named “World Conservation & Hunting Award,”
given to hunters who have killed on six continents tand have killed more than 300 species. This “esteemed” award goes to the killer who has taken all 14 Grand Slams, the 23 Inner Circles, Pinnacle of Achievement (fourth) and the Crowning Achievement Award.

It is this award system that is driving thousands of wealthy primarily white men and a few women to spend millions of dollars stalking animals around the world for the sole purpose of killing the in the name of vanity and self glorification.

The public for the most part is unaware of the sheer immensity of this global hobby of slaughter. Thanks to Dr. Walter Palmer however they are getting a glimpse of it.

Palmer may be the most hated man in the world for a few days because of his vicious crimes of vanity but he will not be forgotten by the Safari International.

Hopefully Cecil will not have died in vain and that his death will represent the thousands of animals so horrifically slaughtered every year.

Dr. Walter Palmer should have stuck to cleaning teeth. He has now been deservedly immortalized as the most vile and despicable hunter of all time but history may look on him a slight bit more favourably if his actions bring down the Safari International Club like Stephenson brought down the Klu Klux Klan.

Press statement on the illegal hunt of a collared lion at Antionette Farm in Gwayi Conservancy, Hwange District on 1 July 2015 by Bushman Safaries professional hunter, Theo Bronkhorst.

Ladies and gentlemen I make this statement with great sadness following the loss of an iconic attraction Cecil, the lion which we had successfully managed to look after both in terms of conservation and protection from a cub to a fully grown lion of 13 years. This is a lion we have been using for the purposes of research to monitor its movement patterns within the range of Hwange National Park and its surrounding areas. 

The Government of Zimbabwe through the Parks and Wildlife Act Chapter 20:14 is mandated to manage and conserve wildlife in the country. This function is exercised through the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, whose main mandate is to conserve Zimbabwe’s wildlife heritage by ensuring that there is sustainable utilization of the natural resources. The Authority is charged with the responsibility to administer and regulate hunting, carry out antipoaching operations, carry out outreach programmes, manage human-wildlife conflicts, undertake research and to monitor programmes.  

Trophy hunting in Zimbabwe can be conducted in safari areas, private land and CAMPFIRE areas and is regulated through the Parks and Wildlife Act Chapter 20:14. Hunting quotas are therefore allocated on a sustainable basis using scientifically proven methodologies on the wildlife populations available. Area specific hunting quotas and permits are issued out to land owners on an annual basis. Each hunting permit specifies the species, numbers and sexes of animals to be hunted in specific hunting areas. Trophy hunting is done and supervised by qualified professional hunters whose licenses are issued by the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority and can be withdrawn in the event of breaching any hunting laws and regulations. 

There are two forms of wildlife utilization, i.e. consumptive and non-consumptive.  Consumptive utilization is done in specific hunting areas for example safari areas such as Chewore, Chete and Matetsi. Non-consumptive utilization is done in strictly non-hunting areas for example national parks such as Hwange National Park, which was home to Cecil and his pride. 

Ladies and gentlemen, on the 7th of July 2015 after receiving a tip-off, our law enforcement officers immediately started investigating the matter and discovered that on the 1st of July 2015, this lion was illegally killed by Dr Walter Palmer, a United States of America national and Theo Bronkhorst, a professional hunter with Bushman Safaris on Antoinette farm in Gwayi River Conservancy. The lion had a fitted GPS satellite collar as part of current research efforts being done in Hwange National Park and its surrounding areas. The lion was well known and regularly sighted by tourists.  

Mr Honest Trymore Ndlovu owner of Antoinette farm was issued with a hunting quota for 2015 which excluded lions. Antoinette Farm is located in Gwayi River Conservancy in the Hwange Rural District and is adjacent to Hwange National Park. The professional hunter is alleged to have connived with the Antoinette land owner to kill the lion. The incident came to the attention of the Authority on the 7th of July 2015 through an informer. This was followed by an investigation which clearly demonstrated that the illegal killing was deliberate. Firstly the land owner was not allocated a lion on his hunting quota for 2015. Secondly, the use of a bow and an arrow was meant to conceal the illegal hunt by using a means that would not alert the rangers on patrol. 

Execution of the illegal hunt violated a number of provisions of the Parks and Wildlife Act. 

·       The professional hunter violated Section 66 of the Act which regulates the manner in which trophy hunts are conducted. 

·       Both the client, Dr Palmer and the professional hunter violated Section 123 of the Act which controls the use of bow and arrow for hunting. 

·       The client also violated the Act through financing an illegal hunt. 

·       The land owner violated Section 59 of the Act which controls hunting on private land in that he allowed a hunt to be conduct without quota and necessary permit. 

From investigations carried out so far it shows that the whole poaching event was properly orchestrated and well financed to make sure that it succeeds. The professional hunter, client and land owner were therefore all engaged in poaching of the lion.  

As we frantically try to protect our wildlife from organized gangs such as this one, there are people who command respect in the society such as Dr Walter James Palmer, a well known dentist and Theo Bronkhorst, an experienced licensed professional hunter who can connive to undermine Zimbabwean laws, international laws and CITES regulations. One can conclude with confidence that Dr Palmer being an American citizen had a well orchestrated agenda which would tarnish the image of Zimbabwe and further strain the relationship between Zimbabwe and the USA. This must be condemned in the strongest possible terms by all genuine animal loving conservationists who believe in sustainable utilization of natural resources. 

I take this opportunity, therefore to appeal to all conservationists, animal lovers and all institutions interested in the protection of wildlife biodiversity to come forward and assist the Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority with resources to undertake its mandate effectively in areas such as game water management, antipoaching, road and fire guard maintenance, and transport. It is important that we all ensure that the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority is adequately resourced to conserve and protect our biodiversity from organized international poaching as happened in this case. Failure to adequately resource the Parks and Wildlife Management Authority can easily subject our antipoaching units to temptation from those offering huge financial rewards for illegal activities. 

Lastly let me thank our law enforcement agencies who upon receiving information of the illegal hunt acted swiftly and apprehended the locally based poachers who are now facing the wrath of law but unfortunately it was too late to apprehend the foreign poacher as he had already absconded to his country of origin. We are appealing to the responsible authorities for his extradition to Zimbabwe so that he be made accountable for his illegal actions.  

I thank you. 

Yame & George have grown so big and we thank Jade, their carer, for her report (below) and Kristen for sharing her photos with us.

As Im sure you remember from my last update, George was struggling with his joints and legs as the Winter cold swept in. We made the decision to get a specialist vet out a few days back to reassess Georges condition, and advise us on a plan moving forward. They took some blood samples to check on all their levels (Calcium, Phosphorus, etc) which should give us a good idea of what supplements are needed in their diet now that they are older. As George grows, we try our best to keep up with his medical needs, and he just carries on like a trooper! Fingers crossed we will get some good news from the vet soon.

It always amazes us to watch George out in the reserve for a walk. Though he struggles to keep up with Yame, he doesn’t give up. He has such a strong will and determination, and absolutely loves every minute of being out and about. They are actually starting to show a lot more interest in the other animals now too, as their hunting instincts kick in. They had a huge giraffe browsing just outside their enclosure the other day, and they were so fixated on him that we couldn’t even get them to come over for their dinner. It definitely brings new meaning to the phrase “herding cats”.

They are really loving their new enclosure, and can be seen sunning themselves in the early mornings, and late afternoons. There is something so satisfying about watching them all snuggled up in a heap together,  that makes you just want to dive into the middle, and not move for hours. 

As I said earlier, their natural hunting instincts are kicking in with full force, and Yame has taken to (play) stalking Lozanne and I in the enclosure lately. One minute you’re standing up, or walking somewhere, and the next minute you’re on the ground, smothered by a 100kg furball… he gets such an intense look just before he play stalks and pounces that we can almost predict when he’s going to do it. George just waits until your sitting down, or lying down, and then simply comes and sits on you so you can’t get up… no tact J But we love them all the same. 

I hope that you will enjoy the photos (courtesy of Kristen Grenda). They are growing faster and faster each month, and are both so beautiful! 

Until next time.
Jade