By JAMES KUNDA –
THE Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) has said that the decision by Government to lift the ban on hunting lions and leopards will not deplete the country’s wild animal resource.
ZAWA public relations officer Sakabilo Kalembwe said surveys prior to the decision indicated that the move will actually contribute to animal conservation.
Mr Kalembwe said statements that the resumption of lion and leopard hunting could harm the wild animal resource were misleading.
“There are basically three big cat clusters in Zambia namely; Luangwa valley, Kafue and Lower Zambezi ecological systems.
“Before the decision was effected, ZAWA took a cautionary approach to the wild cat population in the three clusters which currently estimates between 1, 500 to 2, 500 lions and about 4, 000 leopards,” he said.
Mr Kalembwe said the country prescribed to local and international guidelines which have been developed to regulate wild cat hunting.
“These guidelines prescribe hunting of male lions aged six years and above and should not be associated with any pride. This implies that lions being hunted are old and are no longer breeding, thus have a diminished biological function,” he said.
Mr Kalembwe noted that due to their incapacity to hunt wild prey, aging lions pose a danger to human life and domestic animals in the rural areas.
Recently, Chief Nyawa of Southern Province personally complained to ZAWA officers in Chilanga that a pride of 10 lions have killed 11 cattle belonging to his subjects.
A similar occurrence was also reported from Chief Kaindu’s area in Mumbwa District where two prides of lions killed 16 cattle and were generally terrorising livestock.
Zambia is ranked highly in-terms of its big cat population in the sub-region after Tanzania, South Africa and Botswana.