Wildlife thrive because of hunting | Greeley Tribune

Wildlife thrive because of hunting | Greeley Tribune: "Some African countries have tried bans on hunting. There are two examples of this: Kenya and Tanzania. Tanzania closed hunting in 1973 and reopened it in 1978 after poaching reduced its elephant population by more than half. Once hunting reopened, the elephant rebounded to a current population of about 125,000.

In 1977, Kenya banned hunting and has never reopened it. The costs have been staggering. According to the African Conservation Foundation, 70 percent of Kenya's wildlife outside national parks has been poached out. Kenya's elephants fared even worse: Between 1979 and 1989, the elephant population fell from 130,000 to 17,000.

In the 2007 hunting season in South Africa, 16,394 foreign hunters spent $91 million, according to the South African Professional Hunters Association. The association estimates that 70,000 jobs are created by South Africa's game-ranching industry.

In 2010, district councils in Tanzania will receive $600,000 as their share of hunting license revenues from the 2009 season."