Workers in Pieter Swart’s tanning and taxidermy workshop are busy skinning impala heads, bleaching buffalo bones and softening zebra skins.
His business in South Africa has thrived for years, but it is now threatened by a British law sponsored by animal activists, the 58-year-old said.
Swart worries that the bill, which bans the import of hunting trophies, could open the way for a deluge of similar legislation.
Photo: AFP
It would scupper demand for the centuries-old craft of stuffing hunters’ quarry for display, leading to painful job losses in top international hunting destinations in southern Africa, he said.
“We are very much concerned. The law could create a domino effect,” said Swart, a zebra skull sitting on his desk.
The British legislation, which aims to help protect endangered animals, was approved by British lawmakers in March.
Covering thousands of species, including lions, rhino and elephants, it reflects a broader shift in Western societal views on hunting against a backdrop of declining global wildlife numbers, animal rights groups say.
“This is very much the start of a change in attitudes amongst [European] countries,” said Matthew Schurch, a wildlife specialist with animal welfare group Humane Society International.
Similar bills are being considered in countries such as Italy, Belgium and Spain, Humane Society International says.
The law is backed by numerous celebrities, including model Kate Moss and soccer presenter Gary Lineker, but African conservationists and those in the hunting business say it is misguided.
Trophy hunting — where hunters pay thousands of dollars for the right to kill usually big game animals such as elephants and lions — has long been controversial.
Proponents contend that the killing of a small number of selected, usually old animals generates much needed income for conservation and anti-poaching efforts and support local communities.
Trophy hunting contributes more than US$340 million a year to South Africa’s economy, supporting about 17,000 jobs, a 2018 study found.
Hunters often bring home parts of the animals as trophies. These are processed by taxidermy firms that employ about 6,000 people in South Africa, said Swart, leader of the South African Taxidermy and Tannery Association trade group.
Piles of skins, skulls, horns and bones lie in his workshop, waiting to be turned into rugs and ornaments. Thousands of carcasses are processed at the Rayton facility, near Pretoria, every year.
Most come from culling done by game reserves, while a smaller number are brought in by international hunters, Swart said.
“Hunting and culling are one of the processes of managing the animals, and to waste a skin like this ... and to just let it degrade is not cost effective,” Swart said pointing to a zebra bust hanging on the wall.
A full mount taxidermy of a rhino costs more than US$6,800, while a cheetah goes for US$1,360.
“If they are going to ban this job ... I am not going to manage to feed my family,” said Elias Pedzisai, 45, who works his “magic” bleaching skulls at Swart’s Afrikan Tanning & Taxidermy firm.
Critics say that shooting wild animals for fun is cruel, wasteful and pushes endangered species closer to extinction.
For South Africa’s National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, hunting an animal for it to be mounted on your wall is “questionable.”
“There are far more ethical and humane ways of generating income,” spokeswoman Keshvi Nair said.
While Britons make up a small share of trophy hunters in South Africa, the law — which is being scrutinized by the upper house of parliament — is already causing damage, Swart said.
If more countries were to follow “we will see a considerable part of our market come to a grinding halt,” said Douglas Cockcroft, director of Splitting Image Taxidermy, another company employing more than 100 people.
The prospect already has South African taxidermists pursuing new opportunities.
“There have been inroads into the Chinese and Russian markets,” Swart said. “Hunters from those countries that in the past didn’t come here now are coming to South Africa on a more regular basis.”
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