There are many divisions between the protectors and the forces bearing down on the imperilled leopard population in SA. For the second year in a row, Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa declared a zero quota on trophy hunting of leopards. Conservation organisations hailed this as a victory, but the Professional Hunters Association of SA says with no value on its head, leopards become even less protected. The hunters also say the seven potential jobs created by one visiting trophy hunter are lost, as is the income from other animals they will kill and revenue from airline tickets and accommodation. The association says 7,633 foreign hunters contributed R1.65bn to the economy in 2015. With the zero quota on leopard, about 36 clients are lost annually. Hunting outfitter Ernest Dyason, whose livelihood has been severely affected by the two-year ban, says he fears that farmers who formerly offered leopard for hunting on their properties will now turn to livestock farming, pushing ...
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