Animal "Protection" Groups Doing Little to Protect African Elephants

-- New SCI Report Shows Animal Rights Hypocrites Stiff Elephants, African Communities

WASHINGTON, July 17, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- Today Safari Club International (SCI) exposed the hypocrisy of five animal rights groups in a new report. The report, "A Stampede of Hypocrisy: How Animal Rights Activists Poach Elephant Donations," counters the high-profile propaganda campaign against the sustainable and highly regulated hunting of African elephants, which activists use to push their radical political agenda. Despite the trumpeting from these activists that they're "speaking for" the interests of elephants, the report points to figures showing the millions of dollars contributed by hunters to African communities and anti-poaching efforts dwarfs the paltry expenditures by the animal rights groups in sub-Saharan Africa. View the report here: https://firstforhunters.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/a-stampede-of-hypocrisy.pdf

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The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), its affiliate Humane Society International (HSI), the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and Born Free USA collectively raise $170 million yet only about 1 penny of every dollar goes to sub-Saharan Africa, according to their most recent annual tax returns. Even more disturbingly, in May 2014, HSUS and Born Free USA were part of a $15.75 million settlement of a bribery and racketeering lawsuit, and Charity Navigator has issued a "Donor Advisory" regarding both groups.

"The anti-hunting zealots mask their political agenda behind emotion. These groups know that poaching is more likely to be adopted as an economic activity in areas where human livelihoods are insecure. Well regulated hunting decreases poverty be securing livelihoods and provides funds for anti-poaching programs," stated SCI President Craig Kauffman. "Their effort to end legal and regulated elephant hunting will not only hurt local economies but trample anti-poaching efforts as well."

HSUS's hypocrisy goes even further as they acknowledge elephant popula­tions are healthy and even in need of thinning. HSUS and HSI have utilized U.S. taxpayer grants for elephant birth control in South Africa.

The "Stampede of Hypocrisy" report also details the less-than-stellar grades several of the animal rights groups draw from the charity watchdog American Institute of Philanthropy (AIP). AIP awards HSUS a "C-minus" grade, finding the group spends up to half its budget on overhead, and awards "C-plus," "C," and "D" grades to PETA, Born Free USA, and IFAW, respectively, for their wasteful spending practices.

Wildlife officials in Africa have heralded hunting as vital to economies and anti-poaching efforts. The Zimbabwe program Community Areas Management Program for Indigenous Resources (CAMPFIRE), which runs wildlife management and anti-poaching programs for 12.7% of the entire country, receives 70% of its revenue from legal hunting. Tanzania's former top wildlife official has praised the "critical role" that hunters play in African communities and across nearly 30% of the country. Revenues from hunting generate $200 million annually in remote rural areas of southern and eastern Africa.

For more information, visit https://firstforhunters.files.wordpress.com/2014/07/a-stampede-of-hypocrisy.pdf

Safari Club International – First For Hunters is the leader in protecting the freedom to hunt and in promoting wildlife conservation worldwide. SCI's approximately 200 Chapters represent all 50 of the United States as well as 106 other countries. SCI's proactive leadership in a host of cooperative wildlife conservation, outdoor education and humanitarian programs, along with the SCI Foundation and other conservation groups, research institutions and government agencies, empowers sportsmen to be contributing community members and participants in sound wildlife management and conservation. Visit http://www.safariclub.org for more information.