Animal rights scene ignores dialogue with the hunting lobby

The dialogue culture of the animal rights scene is lacking, according to the militant German Hunting Association.

There are petitions, demonstrations, and calls for hunting bans. Yet dialogue with those affected is being refused. The DJV and CIC are calling on critics to see the situation for themselves on the ground in Africa.

On the occasion of the conference “Africa: Species Conservation, Sustainable Use and Human Rights” on 23 May 2022 in Dortmund, the organisation Resource Africa (RA) invited representatives of German animal rights organisations alongside renowned scientists. Numerous African representatives, scientists and politicians attended as guests. All invited animal rights organisations, as well as parts of the political landscape, declined to participate in the pseudo-scientific, fact-based discussion panel. The International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) in Germany and the German Hunting Association (DJV) criticise the fact that Germany’s animal rights organisations prefer to talk about, rather than with, those affected by their anti-hunting campaigns.

Resource Africa advocates worldwide for the right of rural African communities to make self-determined decisions about the sustainable use of their own natural resources. This includes hunting with guests from home and abroad. RA had invited a three-person delegation from the Community Leaders Network (CLN) — an association of community representatives from nine southern African states — to the conference in Dortmund. Regarding the refusals from hunting critics, Dr. Rodgers Lubilo, Chairman of the CLN from Zambia, stated at the discussion panel in Dortmund:

„Apparently, there is a reluctance to engage in dialogue with us. Some animal rights organisations are even trying to defame us behind the scenes. Such behaviour not only carries neo-colonialist traits, it also raises the question of whether these organisations are solely motivated by donations that fund well-paid activists. The animal rights scene is playing a dishonest game. Maxi Pia Louis, CLN Secretary, NACSO, Namibia, adds: "Hunting for conservation purposes is part of the livelihood of millions of rural communities and farmers in southern Africa who protect their wildlife. CLN will advocate for the voices of those communities that have no access to international and national platforms by sharing their views.“

CIC and DJV take particular issue with the claim that hunting guests can simply be replaced by photo tourists. "No photo tourist spends 14 days in the African bush or the Pakistani mountains, risking having to make the journey home without a single image of wild animals. Hunting takes place outside the tourist hotspots and glossy lodges, and often in areas where there are barely any other sources of income", says Stephan Wunderlich of CIC and DJV in their press release.