Zambia has joined its SADC neighbour Botswana is banning the hunting of lions and other endangered species that include leopards to preserve the declining population.

Quoted by international media, the country’s Minister of Tourism, Sylvia Masebo argues the economy will benefit more from people coming to see the animals rather than killing them for trophy.

The decision follows a similar one made by Botswana government last year in which President Ian Khama decided to indefinitely suspend commercial hunting of wildlife in public or Controlled Hunting Areas as from the 1st of January 2014.
“This comes as a realisation that the shooting of wild game purely for sport and trophies is no longer seen to be compatible with either our national commitment to conserve and preserve local fauna or the long term growth of the local tourism industry,” the Ministry of Environment, Wildlife and Tourism says.

It is reported that Zambia has around 4, 500 lions.

Most African countries are going this route to protect the declining population of lions and other endangered species. Apart from poaching, normally lions are killed because they kill livestock as it is the case in countries like Kenya.
“The decision to impose this moratorium on hunting was made in the context of a growing concern about the sharp decline in the populations of most of the wildlife species that have been subject to licensed hunting. If left unchecked this decline poses a genuine threat to both the conservation of our natural heritage and the long term health of the local tourist industry which currently ranks second to diamonds in terms of its revenue earnings,” Botswana argues.