There's a hell of lot of hypocrisy within the trophy hunting debate. I'm collecting a lot of data at the moment, for the document I'm producing here regarding why the leopard should have full protection status. A couple of days ago (at the behest of the guy who is helping me write my book) I posted (on Facebook) the figure of 10,000 leopards trophy hunted (over the decade of 2004-14) and as usual it barely raised a eyebrow. Meanwhile there is huge noise about the elephant situation, about the same amount were trophy hunted during the same period. You all know the story now, Trump has been forced to a back down and now his spin doctors are wriggling.
As a leopard conservationist this makes me grimace. Public support for leopard conservation is very low compared to other species and the battle for government and big org support is just as frustrating, many of my peers are tearing their hair out. There's so much hypocrisy with the big org situation, very rarely do they speak out against trophy hunting, there's too much donor connection, too much politics. At least I don't have that problem, I say what I feel and I will again, I am completely against trophy hunting, there is no proven scientific, conservation or economic justification that it helps saves a species. A lot of people are... but herein lies the hypocrisy. Sure, I accept that elephants have a lot more emotional pull for people than leopards but if there was a greater understanding of the ecological impact of decreasing populations of panthera pardus (leopard), a species that has taken 3 and a half million years to evolve, then maybe there would be more equality in support, less "selectionism" ... a new word I've just invented for this blog.
My book is going into this big time under the theme of marginalization... and I won't be holding back.
But right now I've got a leopard enclosure to design... and I have to sell a hell of lot of photos to pay for it... the next stage in what we are trying to achieve here to protect a marginalized species which only a few seem to understand but every one is precious...
The first image of these two above is taken with my phone from the wonderful document WAGHOBA TALES: ADVENTURES IN LEOPARD LAND (link HERE) sent to me by Vidya Athreya, it gives a different more personal take on the study done in Akole by Vidya and team. The image accompanies the story of how a drunk man got caught in a leopard trap age. Strangely, and I wasn't trapped or drunk, but I know what it is like to be in a cage with a leopard prowling outside (second image), more on that another day.
The journal published accompanied the study has helped me a lot (link HERE) in my own work and references SOCIAL CARING CAPACITY. There's more on that in a post just made at Living with Leopards for those interested but it extends beyond the elements of spiritual beliefs and tolerance. I'm about to walk a few collars to place cameras on a path where a leopard walks very close to houses. I need to identify the cat but just as importantly I need to understand what the people living there think of the situation, how they are coping. Coexistence is very much about balance and fairness to both parties.
