Emirates Airlines Bans Hunting-Trophy Lions, Rhinos, Elephants
Emirates Airlines, the global giant carrier, joins South African Airways to ban transport of exotic wildlife sport-hunted trophies of animals such as elephants and rhinos, lions, or tigers, according to nationalgeographic.
The plan is "to eliminate illegal trade and transportation of hunting trophies worldwide and save wildlife heritage," says Emirates.
Hence, the Emirates has moved one step forward from the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which permits the sale of some animals. Hunting of lions, elephants, and rhinos is still sanctioned by some countries, including the United States.
"As part of our efforts to prevent the illegal trade of hunting trophies of elephant, rhinoceros, lion and tiger," said an Emirates SkyCargo spokesperson, the airline "has decided that effective 15th May 2015, we will not accept any kind of hunting trophies of these animals for carriage on Emirates services, irrespective of CITES appendix."
The ban is effective from Friday 15 May, the Emirates has confirmed, according to traveller24. In a mail to Sarah Dyer, a UK representative of Campaign Against Canned Hunting, Emirates wrote: "Our policy on hunting trophies is that in addition to the existing embargo on CITES-1 specimens (most critically endangered) effective 15th May 2015, we will not accept any kind of Hunting Trophies of elephant, rhinoceros, lion and tiger for carriage on Emirates services, irrespective of CITES appendix".
The most popular items are lion trophies, which are shot by wealthy foreign hunters visiting Africa, who pay large sums, stuff their bodies and fly them home.
The first airline to ban hunters was South African Airlines last week (8 May), according to bbc. Thousands of online activists demand that Delta Airlines should join the group to ban trophy animals from their cargo.
However, the movement to ban lion trophy hunting is now gaining ground. In March, Australia banned the import of hunting trophies, and the European Parliament officials too want to instigate a ban.
Last March, the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service gave permits to import two black rhino trophies from hunts in Namibia.
And now this week's decision by Emirates Airlines comes next to a ban on hunting trophies on all flights by South African Airways (SAA) Cargo. It reached the decision after illegal ivory on its flight was interrupted in transit at Australia.
At South Africa, the shipment, that had been flying towards Malaysia, was called machinery spare parts.
Tlali Tlali, an SAA Cargo spokesman, said the airline had to "act swiftly to curb the problem of illegal transportation of animals."
SAA's country manager for Australasia, Tim Clyde-Smith, said the carrier would "no longer support game hunters by carrying their trophies back to their country of origin."
Chris Mercer, head of the global Campaign Against Canned Hunting, appreciated the airlines for their thoughtful decisions.
"When public anger causes corporate social responsibility to leapfrog CITES," he said, "then conservation authorities should understand that they're making themselves irrelevant, and it's time for a radical shake-up and restructuring of the whole conservation regime."
