MSOpinion S. African taxidermists fret at UK hunting trophy ban “The prospect already has South African taxidermists pursuing new opportunities”
RAYTON, South Africa—Workers in Pieter Swart’s tanning and taxidermy workshop are busy skinning impala heads, bleaching buffalo bones and softening zebra skins.
This would scupper demand for the centuries-old craft of stuffing hunters’ quarry for display, leading to painful job losses in top international hunting destinations in southern Africa, he says. Covering thousands of species, including lions, rhino and elephants, it reflects a broader shift in western societal views on hunting against a backdrop of declining global wildlife numbers, according to animal rights groups.
Trophy hunting—where hunters pay thousands of dollars for the right to kill usually big game animals like elephants and lions—has long been controversial. Piles of skins, skulls, horns and bones lay in his workshop, waiting to be turned into rugs and ornaments.Most come from culling done by game reserves, while a smaller part is brought in by international hunters, says Swart.“Hunting and culling are one of the processes of managing the animals. And to waste a skin like this…and to just let it degrade is not cost effective,” Swart, sporting a grey goatee, says pointing to a zebra bust hanging on the wall.
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