Protesters call attention to worldwide hunting organization fundraiser by Shelley Frost
Despite the threat of rain, dozens of animal rights protesters stood outside a San Francisco Bay area hotel on Saturday to demonstrate against the Safari Club International (SCI), an organization that describes itself as "the leader in protecting the freedom to hunt and in promoting wildlife conservation worldwide."
Animal activist Deniz Bolbol, one of the protesters near the entrance of the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Foster City, says that SCI is responsible for eroding the survival of endangered species.
"The fundamental premise behind this organization is killing threatened and endangered animals and always trying to remove protections for animals," says Bobol. One of SCI’s primary focuses she says, is lobbying congress to reduce protection of endangered species: "Safari International is notorious for getting permits just as they did this year to import 20 (threatened) African elephant carcasses."
The protesters were calling attention to SCI's Golden Gate chapter who were at the Foster City Crowne Plaza hotel hosting their annual fundraiser.
The 1972 Marine Mammal Act has prevented hunters from shipping their polar bear trophies into the U.S., but according to SCI's website, in 1994 SCI filed (a lawsuit), "in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, asking the Court to reverse the listing of the polar bear (as a threatened species), in order to effectively eliminate the import ban."
Rewarding the biggest kill
Bolbol described a book titled Record Book of Trophy Animals maintained by SCI that is a scoring system used to reward hunters for the biggest, most impressive kills and trophies. "The more endangered or threatened species that hunters kill,” she says, “the more rewards you get from the organization."
Hunters compete for these awards by submitting trophies such as tusks, horns, antlers, and skulls.
“Perverts Kill for Fun,” says protester
Protester Alex Bury held two signs, one reading "Killing Endangered Species for Fun," and another with a large color photo of a grinning hunter squatting with his rifle next to a dead lion. Above the photo were the words, "Perverts Kill for Fun."
Asked if she would attempt to speak with members of the SCI, Bury replied, "I'm not too worried about speaking with them because we figured they are dead-set, pardon the pun, on killing animals."
When asked what she hoped to accomplish as a protester, Bury said, "We're here to educate the public and hopefully the hotel won't want them [SCI] back next year if they are embarrassed this year." AnimalBeat.org has not yet received a response to a request for comment from SCI’s media department.AB reporters were turned away at the door to the SCI event by hotel personnel.
Shelley Frost has served in both executive and volunteer positions at animal shelters. A co-author of Your Adopted Dog, she also produces documentaries about animal issues.