Don Giottonini, president of the Sacramento chapter of the Safari Club International, has provided one of the best and direct responses to the animal rights community on the role that responsible and regulated hunting plays in protecting wildlife conservancies  and the re-introduction of species in Africa.

This is a direct response to Jennifer Fearing, lobbyist for Humane Society of the United States

He also notes that the grandstanding by the Humane Society seem more interested in raising money for themselves than actually helping out the animals they show on the tv screen.

Here is a portion of Don’s comments:

According to National Geographic, investments from hunting in Africa have led to the recovery of several species, including the southern white rhinoceros, the Cape Mountain zebra and the black wildebeest.

Current grandstanding by animal rights groups distracts attention from their failure to do meaningful conservation work. Where is their financial investment in protecting wildlife parks and conservancies in Africa? Where is their willingness to work with our members as we fight poachers?

The Humane Society of the United States, for whom the author lobbies, is an organization whose recent television campaign seeks donations to “rescue animals now.” Though it receives $130 million annually, it doesn’t run a single pet shelter and donates less than 1 percent to shelters. The federal government has received more than 150 complaints about its fundraising practices, currently under investigation in several states.

Much animal rights rhetoric is designed to inflate salaries, membership and profits. In contrast, safari hunting provides an estimated $200 million in annual revenue for Africa. Banning regulated hunting won’t help threatened species. It will do the opposite.

Read Don’s Full Opinion Piece Here