Does science serve the wildlife industry? A critique of von Brandis & Reilly (2008)

Abstract

Throughout the world, terrestrial mammals are hunted for sport, subsistence and population control, providing a significant source of meat and income to communities (Milner et al. 2007). The game ranching industry in South Africa relies heavily on trophy hunting as a primary source of income (du Toit & van Rooyan 2002), and hence may be subject to manipulation that could increase revenue. The industry is growing rapidly, and steps need to be taken to ensure that this industry is sustainable, and is firmly grounded in science with effective government policy. In a recent article in South African Journal of Wildlife Research, von Brandis & Reilly (2008, hereafter vB&R) claim that significant spatial variation exist in the trophy quality (a function of horn size) of ungulates in South Africa and advocate the importance of a national trophy quality monitoring programme in order to control potential manipulation of trophy populations.