Poachers Are Not Hunters

[AfricaHunting.com]

Safari Club International supports legal, regulated trophy hunting and condemns criminal poaching of wildlife.

Hunting and poaching are not the same. One is good for wildlife and the other is bad.

Yet there seems to be confusion in the media about the difference between legal hunting and illegal poaching – the two terms, when used interchangeably, are used improperly.

There is a video (see below) circulating in the mainstream and social media that shows a father and son criminally poaching a sow black bear and her cubs in Alaska. The crimes were recorded on video because the mother bear was collared and part of a study.

"SCI wants to set the record straight," said SCI President Paul Babaz. "What is shown on that video is not hunting and the two men in the video are not members of SCI. SCI members are ethical hunters. Those two men are convicted criminals."

In fact, SCI and its members as well as SCI Foundation engage in effective wildlife conservation projects around the world, including bear conservation.

Because it is based on scientifically supported sustainable use of wildlife resources; legal, regulated trophy hunting results in enhanced wildlife populations. Poaching merely kills animals, and in extreme cases threatens entire species.

Legal, regulated trophy hunting never threatens species. In other words, legal hunting is the solution, while illegal poaching is the problem. Using the two terms interchangeably adds to the problem.

"SCI members and other ethical hunters around the world are proud of what we do to help assure healthy wildlife populations for now and in the future," SCI President Babaz noted. "As much as we work to conserve wildlife resources, we work as diligently in our opposition to the criminal poaching of them."



Source: Safari Club International (SCI)

 

[BRICKBURN]

Shooting a Sow and cubs in the den.
That is certainly Poaching. Totally illegal where I come from.
I hope the two have been charged and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

 

[Jeff 907]

Personally I don’t think the punishment was stiff enough. Should’ve taken their license for life too.

https://www.adn.com/alaska-news/cri...bear-poaching-that-was-caught-on-game-camera/

 

[Adrian]

It was in the UK press too....

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/ar...illegally-kill-hibernating-bear-two-cubs.html

 

[johnnyblues]

IMO not nearly enough punishment. Made my stomach turn, that poor bear and cubs killed in this manner. I can truly understand how anti hunting zealots feel when you watch something as this. Bastards both of them should have received much stiffer sentences.

 

[CAustin]

Thanks for sharing and getting the word out on this.

 

[Newboomer]

Now that will make your blood boil. They both should have lost their licenses for life and be forbidden to have any contact with firearms of any kind for life plus some hefty jail time and much stiffer fines.

 

[Witold Krzyżanowski]

Shooting a Sow and cubs in the den.
That is certainly Poaching. Totally illegal where I come from.
I hope the two have been charged and prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

I agre with you BRICKBURN. This is murder.

 

[Foxi]

10 years in jail for everyone.
They'll have enough on their plate.

 

[James Sexton]

Until we start prosecuting people to the fullest extent of the law for this exact thing these worthless bastards will continue do this until we let it be seen that there is severe repercussions to this kind nonsense.