Animals Win! Colombia Bans ‘Sport’ Hunting
In a monumental move to defend wildlife, Colombia has banned “sport” hunting!
Lawyer and animal advocate Laura Santacoloma filed a lawsuit seeking to have sport hunting ruled unconstitutional, as it conflicts with Colombian laws regarding the care and protection of wildlife and the environment. Magistrate Antonio Jose Lizarazo agreed, deciding, “It is not constitutionally allowable to kill or mistreat animals for the sole purpose of recreation,” and that “[a]nimals are not things, they are beings with feelings.”
The ban will save the lives of countless deer, doves, ducks, rabbits, peccaries (who are related to pigs), and other animals and will go into effect one year from the court’s ruling in order to give anyone involved in sport hunting time to make the transition out of it. That shouldn’t be hard, considering that Colombia has more biodiversity per square mile than any other nation in the world and is a top destination for eco-tourism.
Here are just a few of the animals adventurers can spot there:
- Pink river dolphins
- Cotton-top tamarins
- 89’98 butterflies
- Capybaras
- Poison dart frogs
- Spectacled bears
All of Colombia’s native species—many of whom are endangered—will benefit from not having sport hunters traipsing through their homes, destroying the habitat and blasting firearms that disrupt the animals’ ability to forage, rest, mate, and raise their young.
Help save more animals from hunters by telling UPS to stop shipping hunting “trophies” now:
