Is this enough wiggle room for a limited number of hunters to be able to continue to dart rhinos? Butland says he thinks so. If the darting takes place under the above conditions by someone other than a vet it will, according to our understanding, still be legal after June of this year, he writes.
If there is wiggle room on darting of rhinos, does that suggest there might ultimately be some wiggle room on the killing of captive lions? Continuing subscribers know the new regulations say that captive lions may be hunted only after they have been in the place they are to be hunted for 24 months. The stipulation is widely believed to make captive lion hunting economically unfeasible.
Already, however, we have reported on one ranch owner who says he has been given a waiver of the 24-month requirement. He says other waivers are in the works. More significant still, we received a call this past month from an agent active in the promotion of captive lion hunts, and he pooh-poohs the idea that captive lion hunting is on its way out. It's just not going to be stopped, he said. There is too much money involved.
Does anyone else have input into this matter? Personally, I do........(continued)
